A toddler waves from a stroller during the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run on Saturday. (Yonhap)
A toddler waves from a stroller during the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run on Saturday. (Yonhap)

Thousands of parents strapped their children into strollers Saturday morning for the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run, an 8-kilometer course through the heart of South Korea's capital.

Now in its third year, the run drew roughly 20,000 participants along a route stretching from Gwanghwamun Square to Yeouido Park. The event welcomed not only families with infants and toddlers in strollers, but also those with younger elementary-age children in tow.

Heavy on pageantry, the event featured stroller decoration zones, finisher photo walls, and medal engraving services, transforming a morning run into a citywide family celebration.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon framed the occasion as more than a recreational outing.

"We started with 1,000 families last year, and this year participation has grown fivefold," he said. "Seoul, committed to raising children alongside its citizens, will continue its birth-support policies with sincerity, so that pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing can all be happy experiences."

Participants set off from Gwanghwamun Square at the start of the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run on Saturday. (Yonhap)
Participants set off from Gwanghwamun Square at the start of the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run on Saturday. (Yonhap)
Parents push strollers carrying their children during the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Saturday. (Yonhap)
Parents push strollers carrying their children during the 2026 Seoul Stroller Run at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Saturday. (Yonhap)

minmin@heraldcorp.com