Romantic runner Shim Jin-seok gives 90% of his monthly salary to his parents as a scaffolding worker for his family's livelihood

By YoonSeon, Cho

Nov 26, 2025

Romantic runner Shim Jin-seok gives 90% of his monthly salary to his parents as a scaffolding worker for his family's livelihood



'Romantic Runner' Shim Jin-seok revealed the reason for choosing the path of scaffolding.

tvN 'You Quiz on the Block', which will air today (26th), features Shim Jin-seok, a romantic runner who appeared like a comet in the marathon scene.

Shim Jin-seok is shaking up the amateur marathon scene by training in safety shoes and winning his 27th championship this year alone. It has become a hot topic for having an amazing record of running the full marathon course in 2 1/2 hours without a coach or even a running gear.




In the trailer released on the day, Shim Jin-seok said about his unique style of race, which speeds up from the beginning, "Like running 100m and 200m sprints, he jumps right away when he rings the bell from the beginning." I don't make much difference whether I'm over-facing or not. It doesn't spread much in the second half."

Shim Jin-seok said, "When I was 20, I tried to complete the full course for five consecutive days." When asked if there was any moment he wanted to give up "Giving up is when the body suddenly experiences dizziness, vomiting, or abnormal signals to the lungs or heart. Other than that, I never give up. If you give up, you're not a man. A man must not give up easily."

Romantic runner Shim Jin-seok gives 90% of his monthly salary to his parents as a scaffolding worker for his family's livelihood
Meanwhile, Shim Jin-seok also told the story of working as a scaffolding worker at a construction site to take care of the family's livelihood. As soon as he turned twenty, he was in a difficult situation. However, the construction site was a little more expensive than other jobs, and scaffolding workers had more money than other jobs. Then "When the monthly salary came out, 90% of it was given to the parents. On weekends, I found a part-time job at a distribution center and even made my own pocket money."




He also said that his brother had collapsed several times. Whenever I heard about you, I ran. I was always worried if I was hurt and cried. I was anxious and nervous"He showed extraordinary love for his family, creating a sense of emotion.



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