Controversy Over Hapcheon-gun Cherry Blossom Marathon Proceeding Amid Neighboring Wildfire Chaos

Critical Opinions Flood County Website
County Says "Difficult to Adjust Due to Advance Registration"

As wildfire damage spreads nationwide, local governments are canceling or postponing festivals they had prepared one after another. Amid this, Hapcheon-gun, adjacent to Sancheong in Gyeongnam where wildfires have continued for a week, announced that it will proceed with the marathon scheduled for the 30th, sparking controversy.

Last year's Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon. Provided by Hapcheon County

According to Yonhap News on the 27th, Hapcheon-gun issued a press release titled "The 24th Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon, No Issues in Preparation" and stated that the event will proceed as planned. The county explained, "Although there have been inquiries about whether to hold the event due to recent wildfires, after comprehensively considering the on-site conditions, we plan to hold the event normally as scheduled."

However, criticism has arisen questioning whether it is appropriate to proceed with a festival-like marathon event while a large wildfire in the neighboring local government has even caused casualties. It is pointed out that this contrasts with nearby local governments in the Yeongnam region that canceled or postponed their prepared festivals.

In fact, Changnyeong-gun, where affiliated wildfire firefighters and officials died, and Hadong-gun, where the wildfire spread, have either fully canceled or postponed their festivals. Tongyeong City and Namhae-gun, which are relatively farther from Sancheong, also postponed their spring festivals scheduled for this week, citing wildfire prevention and response preparations. Yangsan City also fully canceled the '2025 Mulgeum Cherry Blossom Festival' scheduled for the 29th to 30th.

On the 'Voice of the Citizens' bulletin board on the Hapcheon-gun official website, opinions criticizing the county's decision have been posted. One writer, who identified themselves as a participant in this event, expressed concerns in a post titled "Thoughts on the Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon," saying, "While I understand the hard work of those preparing the event and the expectations of participants, holding a festival while people in other regions are crying out after losing their homes and beloved family members in an instant will cause significant damage to Hapcheon-gun's image."

Screenshot of Hapcheon County Office website

Another writer, in a post titled "Cherry Blossom Marathon," said, "South Korea is currently in a mourning atmosphere due to wildfires; how can a marathon event make sense?" and urged, "Let's reconsider once again." On the official marathon website, posts demanding the postponement or cancellation of the event continue to be uploaded.

Hapcheon-gun empathizes with public opinion but maintains its stance to proceed with the event as scheduled. However, some parts of the event will be adjusted and scaled down.

A county official stated, "With only 2 to 3 days left, it is difficult to cancel or postpone the event, and unlike other local governments, this event is not open to the general public but requires prior registration, making schedule adjustments challenging." However, they added, "Considering the recent wildfire situation, we plan not to hold fireworks or cheerleader performances."

The Hapcheon Cherry Blossom Marathon is an event running along the 100-ri cherry blossom road by the Hwanggang River, attracting many participants every year and establishing itself as a representative spring event of the region. This year marks the 24th event, with about 13,000 participants registered, reportedly the highest number ever.