7,000 Run in ‘Save Race’; 1.65 Billion Won in Aid Delivered to Children Affected by the Climate Crisis

[Financial News] A record 7,000 people took part in the charity marathon ‘Save Race’ in Seoul’s Yeouido area. The 1.65 billion won raised from all entry fees and KakaoBank’s sponsorship will be used to help children struggling with the climate crisis.
The Korean Committee for UNICEF said on the 8th that it and KakaoBank held the eco-friendly charity marathon Save Race (SAVE RACE) 2026 the previous day in and around Yeouido Park, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. Now in its third year, the event started in 2024 with 3,000 participants and grew to 5,000 last year.
Participants ran a 10-kilometer course that started at Culture Plaza in Yeouido Park, crossed Seogang Bridge and turned back at the Gwangheungchang Station intersection. Actor Kwon Hwa-woon, track and field athlete Kim Min-ji, and former national team swimmer Park Tae-hwan served as ‘front-runners’ and ran alongside the participants. Park said, “It was even more rewarding to be able to contribute to a healthy future for children through sports.”
On the day of the event, the Korean Committee for UNICEF received 350 million won in entry fees and 1.3 billion won in sponsorship from KakaoBank. The 50,000-won fee per person was donated in full in the participants’ names. Individual participants who requested a donation receipt when making their payment can check their donation records through the National Tax Service’s simplified year-end tax settlement service.
All entry fees will be used to protect the health and safety of children in East Asia and the Pacific and strengthen their capacity to respond to climate disasters. According to a humanitarian situation report released by UNICEF last August, about 290 million children in the region are exposed to multiple extreme weather risks.
In the first half of this year, tropical cyclones, floods and landslides damaged schools, medical facilities and drinking water supply facilities in the region. About 149,000 of the approximately 300,000 people affected by tropical cyclones that struck the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea were children.
KakaoBank provides $1 million annually through 2027 to support the deployment and monitoring of climate-response technologies on the ground. In the first year of the partnership, 2024, it carried out projects in five Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. In Cambodia, it introduced solar power systems at schools and medical facilities, while in Thailand it supported surveys of climate crisis conditions by region and disaster risk reduction projects.
To reduce the use of single-use items, the event provided water stations with reusable cups. A climate crisis quiz program was also offered. The T-shirts and bags given to participants were made with yarn recycled from discarded PET bottles.
“The climate crisis is an issue directly linked to the lives of future generations, so continued attention and action from businesses and society are important. KakaoBank will continue to create social value together with its customers and play a responsible role in creating a sustainable environment for future generations,” said Yun Ho-young, CEO of KakaoBank.
Heo Geum-ju, secretary-general of the Korean Committee for UNICEF, thanked the participants and said, “Please continue to show concern for children struggling with the climate crisis so that every child can grow up healthy in a safe environment.”
[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter