Mirae kh Rhee runs in the JTBC Seoul Marathon, Nov. 3. Courtesy of Susan Lambooij

Runners from across the globe gathered for the annual JTBC Seoul Marathon on Sunday. For most participants, months of training centered around fitness goals, a love of friendly competition or simply the thrill of completing one of the city's most renowned races. But for one participant, Mirae kh Rhee, an international artist and Korean adoptee, this marathon was a journey reaching far beyond the 42 kilometers of the race course — it was a journey of identity, family and connection and to continue raising awareness for overseas adoptees who are searching for their roots.

Mirae, who took up running during the pandemic as a means of managing stress, has used her participation in races as both a personal therapeutic practice and an expressive medium for her art. This year, she brought a deeply personal project to the Seoul Marathon. Titled "Run Towards My Family," Mirae's initiative invites adoptees from around the world who are searching for their birth families to join her symbolically on this journey. Each adoptee that participated in the project received a bib number digitally from her, and during the race Mirae wore these numbers on her back representing their shared experiences and dreams of reconnecting with their roots.

Mirae kh Rhee, right, trains for a marathon run in Seoul, followed by supporters carrying "Run Towards My Family" signs, Sept. 3. Courtesy of Antonia Giordano

Mirae believes that every adoptee has the right to know where they come from. For adoptees, the search for their birth families is often a journey of years, sometimes decades, marked by periods of waiting, struggle and persistence. Mirae's own journey continues even after two decades of searching. This effort mirrors the challenge of a marathon: times of fluidity, easy movement interrupted by moments of exhaustion that test one's endurance and resolve to reach the finish line. By running in this year's marathon, Mirae hoped to illustrate the courage, resilience and perseverance needed to search for one's origins in Korea.

Mirae kh Rhee runs in the JTBC Seoul Marathon, Nov. 3. Courtesy of Simone Eun Mi

"This race represents both my personal journey and the collective struggle of countless families seeking to reconnect with each other," she told The Korea Times.

Her decision to participate in the marathon also connects to her own birth story. She chose the November marathon instead of Seoul's spring race to honor her April birthday, aligning her months of training with the 40-week span of pregnancy — a time when mothers carry and nurture their children in the womb. She sees this as a way of expressing her belief that every adoptee should have the chance to know where they came from, especially as they seek family, cultural connections and their medical histories.

The JTBC Seoul Marathon began in western Seoul's Hapjeong-dong, with runners winding through iconic areas like Yeouido, Gongdeok Station, Gwanghwamun Square and Dongdaemun — a special location for Mirae, where she was born — eventually heading south and concluding at Olympic Park Stadium. She said she hopes that each step will serve as a powerful message for adoptees and their right to seek their roots, while raising awareness of the profound journey shared by many adoptees worldwide.

"This is an artistic act of endurance, a social intervention and, above all, a message to South Korean society and the world: We have the right to seek our roots," she said.

To further enhance her message and vision, the artist ran the marathon in a custom sports hanbok created by The Moment by Hanbok designer Seo Mi.

Mirae kh Rhee leaps after completing the JTBC Seoul Marathon, Nov. 3. Courtesy of Susan Lambooij

After she crossed the finish line on Sunday, Mirae later told The Korea Times, "As I arrived at the starting line with an estimated 30,000 runners I felt overwhelmed by how crowded it was. Then it hit me, times that number by seven and you get the number of children already sent away by South Korea. It's a tragic loss to let so many of us be exiled just for economic gain, and at what cost to the population? The K-adoption industry may have contributed to the extinction of the South Korean people."

Mirae plans to continue to express her message through other running events in the future. She is continuing her project at marathons that will take place later in the U.S. and in Sweden, two countries that historically had high international adoption rates.

Visit runtowardsmyfamily.com to find out more about Mirae's journey and overseas adopted Koreans, and follow @runtowardsmyfamily on Instagram and TikTok.

Antonia Giordano is a freelance photographer and writer based in Seoul. An adoptee, Antonia deeply understands and connects with the issues surrounding adoption and postadoption. Visit giordanoantonia.myportfolio.com and follow @antonia_creative_services on Instagram.