“You could just go around”: Runner takes to the roadway, then hurls abuse... Jeju “nuisance runner” sparks outrage

[Financial News] A story about a driver traveling on Jeju Island with family who honked at a man running in the roadway to ask him to move aside, only to be met with abuse, has sparked outrage among online users.
According to News 1 on the 11th, a post titled “A Runner I Met While Traveling on Jeju Island,” along with dashcam footage of the incident, was recently shared on the online community Bobaedream.
The author of the post, identified as A, said they had an absurd experience while traveling around Jeju Island for a week with family, including their elementary-school-aged children, in late September.
A said they spotted a man running in the roadway while driving along the road. A, who said they enjoy running, recalled the moment: “When I first saw that older gentleman from a distance, I told my wife, ‘That’s impressive. When I’m older, I want to live like that.’”
The problem was that A was driving on a curving stretch of road where oncoming vehicles were difficult to see, making it dangerous to cross the center line to pass the man. But the man was running farther and farther into the roadway, A explained, leaving no choice but to honk.
The man then retorted to A, “You could just go around,” and added an insult. A explained, “I couldn’t make out what he said next, but my elementary-school-aged children were in the car, so I didn’t respond and quietly drove on.”
A lamented, “I understand that people in downtown Seoul, too, have been inconvenienced by road closures for marathons lately. Is it right to run all the way into the roadway as if running were some kind of right?” A added, “They were the one in the wrong, yet they even hurled abuse at me, so of course I was upset.”
Online users also vented their anger over A’s story, saying things like, “The recent succession of marathon-related controversies is likely to create prejudice against running,” “Anyone running in the roadway should automatically be fined,” and “The law should be amended so that if an accident happens while someone is running in the roadway, the person running is entirely responsible.”
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter