“Ordinary runners can only dream of it” ... SHINee’s Minho faces ‘starting corral favoritism’ allegations after the ‘being pushed from behind’ controversy

[Financial News] SHINee member Minho (real name Choi Min-ho) voluntarily relinquished his finishing time amid allegations that he received physical assistance from a pacemaker during a marathon. As the controversy grew, a petition was also filed with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), asking it to review whether Minho should remain a promotional ambassador.
According to marathon organizer Runable on the 5th, Minho’s representatives recently said he wished to relinquish his finishing time in the 2026 JTBC Seoul Marathon. The organizer accepted his request and decided not to issue an official result.
Minho had competed in his first full marathon (42.195 km) at the race held on the 1st, crossing the finish line in 3 hours, 00 minutes and 18 seconds. However, video showing a fellow runner pushing him on the back and lower back during the race spread across online communities and elsewhere, prompting controversy over “improper assistance.”
Under the rules of World Athletics (WA) and the Korea Association of Athletics Federations (KAAF), runners are prohibited from moving forward with physical assistance from another person, except in exceptional circumstances such as helping a fallen runner back to their feet. Questions of fairness were also raised over how Minho, a first-time entrant with no certified full-marathon time, was assigned to the higher-tier B starting group, which was for runners with times in the 3:00-to-3:27 range.
As the controversy spread, Minho apologized in a post on his social media account on the 3rd, saying, “This all happened because of my shortcomings, and I feel deeply ashamed as someone who cherishes and loves sports. I, too, will not accept the result of this marathon, and I will not forget the lessons I learned through this process.”
Separate from the organizer’s decision not to issue an official time, the fallout also spread into the public sports sector.

On the 4th, a petition was filed with the e-People portal, calling for an investigation into how Minho was assigned to B group and whether the competition rules had been applied appropriately, as well as a fresh review of whether he should remain a KSOC promotional ambassador. Minho was appointed a KSOC promotional ambassador last September and has served in that role since. The committee plans to assign the petition to the relevant department and review its contents.
The race organizer explained that this measure was not an official disqualification ruling establishing that rules had been violated, but rather its acceptance of the participant’s own request to voluntarily relinquish his time amid the fairness controversy.


[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter