Running Man (TV program)


Running Man is a South Korean variety show, formerly part of SBS' Good Sunday lineup. It first aired on July 11, 2010. It is the longest-running Korean variety show.
Running Man was originally classified as an "urban action variety"; a genre of variety shows in an urban environment. The MCs and guests were to complete missions at a landmark to win the race. The show has since shifted to a more familiar reality-variety show concept focused on games. It has garnered attention as being the comeback program for Yoo Jae-suk, the main MC of the program, after leaving Good Sundays Family Outing in February 2010.
The show has become popular in other parts of Asia, and has gained online popularity among Hallyu fans, having been fansubbed into various languages, such as English, Persian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Burmese, Arabic, Russian, and Turkish. The show has made it to the list of Business Insiders 20 TV Shows of 2016.
Since April 2017, Running Man is airing as the first part of Good Sunday at 4:50 pm KST and competing against KBS2's The Return of Superman and MBC's King of Mask Singer. Running Man previously aired at 6:25 pm KST on Sundays, as the second part of Good Sunday, competing against KBS2's 2 Days & 1 Night. The show celebrated its 11th anniversary on July 11, 2021, with 563 episodes, surpassing MBC's Infinite Challenge for the longest entertainment program in South Korea.
On December 20, 2024, it was revealed that Running Man will become one of SBS' Programs to be aired on Netflix as a part of partnership collaboration agreements.

Format

Current

As of episode 48, the members have taken part in a series of missions to become the winner at the end of the race. Missions form the basis of Running Man as members try to avoid punishment in earlier episodes or to win prizes. Multiple missions are presented in each episode, with the highlight of Running Man being race missions. The format of the show has veered away from the "race mission + others" to "one continuous race + missions".

Previous

Personnel

Cast members

Current
Rental
Former
The original cast members consists of Yoo Jae-suk, Gary, Haha, Jee Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Lee Kwang-soo and Song Joong-ki. Song Ji-hyo was originally a guest for the second and third landmarks. She officially joined the program in the fourth landmark, but was unable to attend until the fifth landmark. In April 2011, Song Joong-ki recorded his last episode in May, leaving the program to focus on his acting career. He returned in episode 66 as a guest after almost half a year and later made cameo appearances in several episodes. After School's Lizzy was initially a guest for episodes 13 and 14, later joining in episode 18 as an official member. However, she left the show after episode 25 due to schedule conflicts with her group activities. She later returned as a guest in episode 292, 5 years since her last appearance. On October 25, 2016, Gary announced his departure from the show in November to focus on his music career after being with Running Man for 6 years, but later returned as a guest a week after his final recording, and again in January 2017.
On April 3, 2017, it was confirmed through various media outlets that Running Man would add actress Jeon So-min and comedian Yang Se-chan to the cast. On April 27, 2021, Lee Kwang-soo announced his departure to focus on his treatment and recovery from a car accident, becoming the third original cast member to leave the show. On October 23, 2023, Jeon So-min decided to leave Running Man six years after joining the show to focus on her acting career, but later returned as a guest in episode 736, 14 months since her last appearance, and again in episode 774.
On May 14, 2024, SBS announced that actor Kang Hoon was added to the Running Man cast as the show's first rental member after his recent appearance as a guest on episode 701. On July 8, Kang Hoon recorded his last episode as a rental member before the Olympic season, with SBS announcing that they had discussed about his future appearance schedule after the Olympics. He later returned as a guest in episode 734, 5 months since his last appearance. On December 23, it was announced that Ji Ye-eun became an official Running Man member starting from episode 733 after her role as a rental member since episode 711. On March 24, 2025, it was announced that actor Choi Daniel joined the Running Man as the show's third rental member after his guest appearance in episode 742. On August 26, it was announced by CP Entertainment that Ji Ye-eun had temporarily paused her activities due to her health issues. On October 20, her agency announced that she had returned to the filming episode of Running Man that was aired on November 2. On December 14, 2025, Choi Daniel recorded his last episode as a rental member.

Production staff

The staff run the games, often showing up on camera either by actively participating in the game or influencing the outcome of various missions. This includes the personal cameramen, production directors, floor directors, stylists, boom operators, etc.
At the show's inception, chief producer Nam Seung-yong was responsible for the production of the program, with PDs Jo Hyo-jin, Im Hyung-taek, and Kim Joo-hyung mainly responsible for the directing and production of the recordings of the program. Other PDs have joined the program to assist as the program shifts from a single landmark to multiple locations for recording, notably Hwang Seon-man, Jeong Cheol-min, and Lee Hwan-jin. FD Go Dong-wan assisted in the recordings of the program and was known to be shown on camera many times, as well as delivering and assisting the members in missions. Producer Kim Joo-hyung has left the show as of episode 182, as he was reassigned to Inkigayo.
Each member has their own personal cameramen who follow them around exclusively during recordings. Notable cameramen include Ryu Kwon-ryeol, Kim Yoo-seok, Choi Yoon-sang, Yoon Sung-yong, Sung Gyu, Jo Seong-Oh, Kim Ki-jin, and Ji Bong-jo.
On November 19, 2014, the show's head director, Jo Hyo-jin, announced his departure from the show after working with the members for four years. On March 20, 2016, the show's main PD, Im Hyung-taek left the show, as he became the producer of Hurry Up, Brother, resulting in new generation PDs to take over, notably PD Lee Hwan-jin, PD Jeong Cheol-min, and PD Park Yong-woo. FD Go Dong-wan also announced his leave via his Instagram.
On July 3, 2016, SBS confirmed the return of producer Kim Joo-hyung to the show. That same month, it was confirmed that he would become the new main PD of the show. However, PD Kim Joo-hyung announced his departure from the show shortly after. Subsequently, PD Lee Hwan-jin took over as the main PD of Running Man until March 2017. In April 2017, PD Jeong Cheol-min took over from PD Lee Hwan-Jin as the show's main PD.
In July 2018, PD Jeong Cheol-min took a break and PD Lee Hwan-jin temporarily took over as main PD of the show. PD Jeong returned in May 2019 replacing PD Lee, leading the show till February 5, 2020, where he left the show and SBS. His role was taken over by PD Choi Bo-pil.
On August 1, 2022, SBS announced that PD Choi Bo-pil would be leaving the show. He was replaced by PD Choi Hyung-in, the first female production director in the show's history.
On December 14, 2025, SBS announced that PD Choi Hyung-in would be leaving the show due to her pregnancy and want to focus on her family, with PD Kang Hyung-seon taking over the role as the main PD.

Guests with the most appearances

Aside from guests who became permanent cast members, or former cast members who were once guests, or even guests who were temporary rental members, some guests were occasionally featured or invited to the show during its run. The following list is of guests who appeared the most often as of January 25, 2026.
RankNameNo. of episodesEpisodesOccupation
136736, 742, 747-761, 763-781Actor
223707, 709, 710-718, 721-732Actress
322343, 380, 392–396, 399–400, 406–408, 426–427, 476–477, 480, 486, 490–491, 509, 702Actress
420205, 221, 266, 299, 356–357, 392–396, 399–400, 406–408, 439, 442, 469, 499Singer
518202–203, 339, 390–392, 477–478, 483–484, 490–491, 642, 708-709, 743, 779-780Comedian
518649, 654–655, 669–670, 697, 701, 706-714, 734, 781Actor
717305, 360–361, 367–368, 374–375, 499, 510, 550, 594, 606–607, 630, 654–655, 687Comedian
816381, 390–396, 399–400, 406–408, 415, 453, 509Actor
915202–203, 255, 344, 372, 458–459, 467–469, 500, 529–530, 611, 785Member of Apink
1013150, 239, 305, 317, 637, 656, 685, 686, 688, 693–694, 695, 701MMA Fighter
1013162, 202–203, 356–357, 360–361, 424, 458–459, 467–469Former member of Apink

Episodes

Guests

Many guests have taken part in Running Man. The following is a compilation of guests and the number of times they have been on the show. With regards to guest-turned-members or former members of the show, only the times they were a guest are counted. The guests were sorted according to their appearances and the number of episodes that appeared.
RankGuestEpisodeNo. of
episodes		No. of
appearances
1Choi Daniel736, 742, 747-761, 763-781362
2Ji Ye-eun707, 709, 710-718, 721-732232
3Kang Han-na343, 380, 392–396, 399–400, 406–408, 426–427, 476–477, 480, 486, 490–491, 509, 7032214
4Hong Jin-young205, 221, 266, 299, 356–357, 392–396, 399–400, 406–408, 439, 442, 469, 4992012
5Heo Kyung-hwan202–203, 339, 390–392, 477–478, 483–484, 490–491, 642, 708-709, 743,779-7801810
5Kang Hoon649, 654–655, 669–670, 697, 701, 임대706-714, 734, 781187
7Cho Sae-ho305, 360–361, 367–368, 374–375, 499, 510, 550, 594, 606–607, 630, 654–655, 6871712
8Lee Sang-yeob381, 390–396, 399–400, 406–408, 415, 453, 509168
9Yoon Bo-mi 202–203, 255, 344, 372, 458–459, 467–469, 500, 529–530, 611, 7851510
10Kim Dong-hyun150, 239, 305, 317, 637, 656, 685, 686, 688, 693–694, 695, 7011312
10Son Na-eun 162, 202–203, 356–357, 360–361, 424, 458–459, 467–469137
12Jung Yong-hwa 7, 11, 17, 35–36, 72–73, 104, 127, 129, 186, 2421210
12Lee Da-hee388–389, 392–396, 399–400, 406–408125
14Nichkhun 4–5, 19, 40, 50–51, 104, 195, 248, 256, 306119
14Oh Ha-young 356–357, 458–459, 467–469, 697,708-709, 785116
16Seungri 30, 84–85, 163, 190, 250, 416–417, 43697
16Hong Jin-ho257, 275, 292, 680–681, 688, 693–694, 695, 71997
16Park Cho-rong 458–459, 467–469, 486, 500, 611, 78596
16Ha Do-kwon515, 530–531, 542, 564, 584–585, 615–61696
16Joo Woo-jae588–589, 592, 601, 615–616, 635–636, 64596
16Park Ji-sung96–97, 152–154, 199–200, 283–28494
22Lee Joon 8, 95, 104, 108, 129, 162, 320, 67588
23Noh Sa-yeon49, 103, 137, 313, 374–375, 415, 49987
24Bae Suzy 55, 93–94, 117, 155, 172–173, 20886
25Jung Eun-ji 162, 218, 458–459, 467–469, 78585
25Sunmi 367–368, 416–417, 466–467, 510, 77785
25Kim Nam-joo 458–459, 467–469, 529–530, 78584
28Kim Kwang-kyu15, 32, 159, 176, 271–272, 27476
28Kim Woo-bin138, 166, 188–189, 191, 225, 24076
28Kim Dong-jun 192–194, 236, 513, 546, 721, 72776
31Lee Chun-hee2–3, 76–77, 226, 269, 33975
31Cha Tae-hyun10, 57–58, 532, 643–644, 77075
33Seol In-ah388–389, 426–427, 457, 551–55274
34Park Seo-joon184, 198, 246, 263, 295, 36266
34Soyou 209, 255, 307, 366, 383, 51366
34Kyuhyun 221, 265, 687, 730, 738, 76066
34Da-hyun 302, 328, 398, 428, 506, 73066
34Kim Ah-young717, 725, 742, 750, 756, 76766
39Im Yoon-ah 39, 63–64, 254, 363, 46065
39Eunhyuk 104, 266, 376, 589–590, 76065
39Park Soo-hong179–180, 207, 220, 274, 32165
39Kim Seol-hyun 210, 255, 278–279, 402, 48165
39Lee Mi-joo 313, 500, 513, 532, 571–57265
44Goo Hara 2–3, 49, 122, 388–38964
44Kwon Yu-ri 16, 63–64, 254, 363, 60264
44Daesung 35–36, 84–85, 163, 25064
44Jang Hyuk44–45, 578, 640, 708-70964
44Sulli 55, 75, 129, 152–15464
44Lee Dong-wook133–134, 136, 179–180, 26364
44Yoo Byung-jae243, 312, 390–392, 48064
44Kim Ji-min278–279, 377, 416–417, 49764
44Hur Young-ji 561, 567, 584–585, 606–60764
53271–272, 360–361, 529–53063
54Kim Je-dong11, 21, 79, 106, 20755
54Choi Min-ho 75, 129, 201, 254, 32355
54Eun Ji-won 141, 209, 252, 326, 38355
54Hwang Chan-sung 150, 162, 195, 201, 25655
54Jang Wooyoung 162, 195, 210, 256, 54855
54Yoon Bo-ra 174, 201, 255, 307, 40955
54Kang Ha-neul190, 240, 314, 362, 67355
54Jessi 244, 252, 503, 514, 54855
54Chaeyoung 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Jeongyeon 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Jihyo 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Mina 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Momo 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Nayeon 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Sana 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Tzuyu 302, 328, 398, 428, 50655
54Keum Sae-rok442, 486, 546, 686, 71955
54Jonathan Yiombi688, 697, 702, 720, 77555
72Kim Soo-ro9, 67–68, 138, 26254
72Uee 34, 137, 249, 271–27254
72Sunny 39, 254, 363, 466–46754
72Ok Taec-yeon 40, 150, 234–235, 25654
72IU43, 77, 96–97, 16854
72Taeyeon 63–64, 112, 254, 36354
72Hyoyeon 63–64, 254, 363, 60254
72Hyolyn 75, 162, 307, 348–34954
72Ryu Hyun-jin119, 172–173, 227, 53454
72Han Hye-jin133–134, 136, 174, 31754
72Lee Jun-ho 151–152, 195, 240, 25654
72Lee Guk-joo205, 255, 405, 476–47754
72Jung Il-woo242, 283, 289–290, 43754
72Jang Do-yeon244, 323, 347–348, 41954
72Park Joon-hyung 248, 260–261, 272, 52254
72Kim Jun-hyun249, 271–272, 305, 32354
72Zico 299, 496, 510, 708-70954
72Choi Soo-young 254, 363, 431–432, 535,78454
72Jinyoung 272, 316, 418, 477–47854
72Hwang Chi-yeul272, 409, 431–432, 47154
72Mingyu 272, 448, 502, 529–53054
93Jessica Jung 4–5, 63–64, 14153
93Ji Sung54, 116–117, 202–20353
93Ji Jin-hee76–77, 116–117, 30853
93Hyuna 93–94, 132, 476–47753
93Lee Seung-gi120–121, 174, 228–22953
93Lee Si-young131, 429–431, 53353
93Andy Lee 160–161, 236, 278–27953
93Lim Ju-hwan192–194, 266, 271–27253
93Sung Hoon317, 367–368, 431–43253
93Lee Elijah367–368, 383, 416–41753
93Lee Yi-kyung446–447, 501, 615–61653
104Code Kunst458–459, 467–46952
104 458–459, 467–46952
104Gummy458–459, 467–46952
104Lee Tae-wook 458–459, 467–46952
104Nucksal458–459, 467–46952
104Pyeon Yoo-il 458–459, 467–46952
104Seo Myun-ho 458–459, 467–46952
111Park Bo-young25, 118, 181, 26944
111Go Ara80, 139, 298, 43744
111Im Soo-hyang80, 422, 453, 49444
111Lee Jong-hyun 127, 129, 138, 18644
111Hwang Kwang-hee 129, 236, 272, 66244
111Jo Jung-chi 159, 195, 274, 31244
111Yura 162, 263, 322, 49344
111Leeteuk 221, 275, 376, 76044
111Jeon So-min224, 343, 736, 77444
111Hong Jong-hyun230, 243, 314, 43644
111Hani 237, 275, 448, 56944
111Jennie 330, 409, 413, 52544
111Lee Do-hyun496, 499, 510, 53344
111Kwon Eun-bi684, 703, 720, 771, 78644
111Joo Hyun-young684, 717, 728, 75944
111Miyeon 677, 753, 761, 77744
127Song Eun-i24, 149, 211–21243
127Park Ye-jin37, 67–68, 24143
127Choi Min-soo52–53, 69, 11843
127Shin Se-kyung57–58, 103, 24143
127Lee Yeon-hee61–62, 139, 53543
127Joo Sang-wook76–77, 169, 21943
127G-Dragon 84–85, 163, 25043
127T.O.P 84–85, 170, 25043
127Park Shin-hye120–121, 166, 30443
127John Park159, 179–180, 26543
127Kim Sung-kyu 162, 179–180, 20143
127Kim Kyung-ho179–180, 221, 31243
127Byul251, 429–430, 64243
127Park Ha-na253, 431–432, 48843
127 260–261, 272, 31943
127Yoon Park268, 271–272, 34543
127Joy 268, 376, 426–42743
127Hoshi 272, 529–530, 67643
127V 300, 671, 682–68343
127Lee Young-ji514, 567, 571–57243
127Yoo Seung-ho674, 682–683, 75243
148Song Ji-hyo2–3, 4–542
148Kim Min-jong22, 192–19442
148Lee Da-hae82–83, 289–29042
148Han Hyo-joo123–124, 151–15242
148Rain188–189, 191, 21442
148Ryu Seung-soo192–194, 20442
148Lim Seul-ong 211–212, 271–27242
148Kim Yeon-koung257, 572–57442
148271–272, 360–36142
148B.I 278–279, 416–41742
148Bobby 278–279, 416–41742
159Park Jun-gyu8, 34, 9033
159Shin Bong-sun9, 43, 5633
159Lizzy 13, 14, 29233
159Jang Dong-min13, 220, 53233
159Kim Hee-chul 20, 207, 27533
159Choi Si-won 22, 75, 13533
159Kim Sook56, 149, 27233
159Gaeko 59, 86, 10733
159Park Sang-myun90, 125, 15933
159Yoon Jong-shin101, 195, 31233
159Yim Si-wan 104, 182, 28233
159Choo Sung-hoon131, 150, 63733
159Lee Kyung-kyu143, 305, 31733
159Seo Jang-hoon144, 309, 76533
159Sandara Park 156, 195, 34533
159176, 195, 27233
159Son Ho-jun184, 243, 75233
159Choi Yeo-jin213, 527, 62033
159Jo Jung-suk215, 327, 46033
159Kangnam 220, 248, 52233
159Kim Min-kyo220, 262, 27233
159Kyung Soo-jin224, 299, 38033
159Nam Ji-hyun237, 564, 71233
159Jang Su-won 243, 326, 38333
159Tiffany Young 254, 363, 47133
159Park Na-rae268, 272, 32133
159BamBam 272, 316, 41833
159Jackson Wang 272, 316, 41833
159JB 272, 316, 41833
159Mark Tuan 272, 316, 41833
159Choi Young-jae 272, 316, 41833
159Yugyeom 272, 316, 41833
159Seungkwan 272, 448, 67633
159Lim Ji-yeon281, 320, 46533
159Park Mi-sun287, 322, 49533
159Joohoney 319, 661, 77133
159Jisoo 330, 409, 52533
159KCM339, 593, 61133
159Chung Ha434, 457, 50033
159Park Ji-hyun475, 518, 69233
159Kim Ha-yun716, 736, 76633
200Kim Min-jung50–51, 16732
200Kim Joo-hyuk61–62, 6532
200Seohyun 63–64, 25432
200Taeyang 84–85, 25032
200Krystal Jung 93–94, 21432
200Son Yeon-jae109–110, 32232
200Juvie Train 125, 271–27232
200Jeon Hye-bin145, 431–43232
200Jung Doo-hong150, 271–27232
200Eric Mun 160–161, 23632
200Jun Jin 160–161, 23632
200Lee Min-woo 160–161, 23632
200Shin Hye-sung 160–161, 23632
200Kim Jae-kyung 179–180, 50432
200Kim Ji-seok190, 446–44732
200Ha Yeon-soo198, 374–37532
200Fei 205, 234–23532
200Baek Ji-young205, 367–36832
200210, 271–27232
200Ji Chang-wook211–212, 50732
200Ailee211–212, 52232
200Seo Woo213, 234–23532
200Kim Ki-bang214, 271–27232
200Cho Jin-woong217, 303–30432
200Oh Yeon-seo218, 310–31132
200Hwang Seung-eon253, 367–36832
200Irene Kim253, 588–58932
200Hyun Joo-yup257, 271–27232
200Stephanie Kim 268, 278–27932
200271–272, 31932
200271–272, 31932
200292, 529–53032
200Kwon Yul303–304, 43732
200Ha Jae-sook310–311, 31332
200319, 708-70932
200Cheon Sung-moon 360–361, 40132
200Kang Daniel 374–375, 49532
200Irene 376, 426–42732
200Kang Mi-na 388–389, 47132
200Seo Eun-soo405, 477–47832
200Han Sun-hwa 431–432, 50732
200Bona 445–446, 74632
200Kang Tae-oh 483–484, 49332
200Jun Hyo-seong483–484, 50232
200Ahn Bo-hyun497–498, 69232
200Han Ji-eun527, 658–65932
200Yoo Yeon-seok535, 643–64432
200Cha Chung-hwa540, 584–58532
200Jin Ji-hee581, 595–59632
200Shin Ye-eun649, 680–68132
200Sakura 693–694, 74532
251Kim Jung-nan192–19431
251Lee Sang-hwa192–19431
251Oh Man-seok192–19431
251Shorry J 390–39231
251Ahn Hye-jin572–57431
251Kim Hee-jin572–57431
251Lee So-young572–57431
251Oh Ji-young572–57431
251Park Eun-jin572–57431
251Yeum Hye-seon572–574-1
260Son Dam-bi6, 40522
260Hahm Eun-jung 7, 10422
260Lee Hong-gi 9, 24222
260Tony An15, 3222
260Max Changmin 27, 11522
260U-Know Yunho 27, 11522
260Kim Byung-man28, 14522
260Oh Ji-ho33, 8322
26056, 31322
260Simon Dominic 59, 12722
260Yoon Do-hyun79, 10122
260Chun Jung-myung92, 16722
260Kim Soo-hyun102, 14722
260Yoon Doo-joon 104, 16222
260Jeon Mi-seon113, 15822
260Yoo Hae-jin113, 32022
260Jin Se-yeon119, 19822
260Shindong 125, 76522
260Lee Gi-kwang 127, 16222
260L 129, 16222
260Hwang Jung-min132, 25822
260Park Sung-woong132, 71522
260Lee Jong-suk138, 18122
260Lee Sang-yoon142, 19022
260Ryu Hyun-kyung143, 27222
260Uhm Jung-hwa146, 18322
260Lee Hyun-woo147, 22522
260So Yi-hyun148, 52722
260CL 156, 19522
260Minzy 156, 19522
260Park Bom 156, 19522
260Kim Hee-won157, 26922
260Ahn Gil-kang157, 28722
260Son Hyun-joo158, 24622
260Jung-in159, 22122
260Bang Min-ah 162, 19822
260Kim Da-som 162, 30722
260Yang Dong-geun169, 53222
260Kim You-jung170, 50722
260Jun Hyun-moo176, 77222
260Lee Se-young181, 34322
260Yeo Jin-goo182, 30222
260Kang Min-hyuk 186, 20122
260Jun. K 195, 25622
260Narsha 198, 22122
260Moon Hee-joon 209, 31722
260Kai 209, 75022
260Yoo In-young213, 29922
260Lee Yoo-ri213, 43622
260Kim Sung-kyun217, 29822
260Lee Sung-kyung224, 30422
260Choi Tae-joon230, 34322
260Niel 233, 27422
260Lee Min-hyuk 233, 72522
260Jung So-min237, 67322
260Ye Ji-won238, 32222
260Sung Si-kyung239, 55622
260Park Cho-a 244, 55022
260Jinu 245, 27222
260Na Hae-ryung 253, 31922
260Do Sang-woo253, 50722
260Sung Dong-il264, 46322
260RM 265, 30022
260Wax272, 29222
260Zizo272, 31922
260DK 272, 67622
260Lee Seung-hyub 272, 75422
260 273, 31922
260 273, 31922
260Mino 294, 40222
260Lee Je-hoon298, 52622
260Jin 300, 62722
260Lee Ki-woo306, 30922
260Park Gyeong-ree 306, 40522
260Shownu 307, 31922
260Kim Se-jeong 313, 37722
260Yang Se-chan321, 32322
260Gary 325, 33622
260Kang Sung-hoon 326, 38322
260Kim Jae-duc 326, 38322
260Lee Jai-jin 326, 38322
260Lisa 330, 52522
260Rosé 330, 52522
260Shin Hye-jeong 402, 48122
260Han Eun-jung409, 44222
260Kwak Si-yang414, 50122
260Kim Do-yeon 434, 51322
260Lee Dong-hwi435, 45022
260Shin Ji-min 436, 48122
260Hwang Bo-ra474, 48222
260475, 49722
260Jang Won-young 513, 63922
260 532, 68522
260Yeonjun 532, 68522
260Ahn Eun-jin541, 77822
260Yoon Jong-hoon542, 67522
260Jang Dong-yoon546, 76722
260Lee Yong-jin556, 56522
260Byeon Woo-seok601, 70422
260Manny Pacquiao626, 65122
260An Yu-jin 639, 70522
260Rei 639, 70522
260Roh Yoon-seo645, 72622
260Ma Sun-ho697, 70222
260Seo Eun-kwang 701, 72522
260Joo Jong-hyuk702, 74022
260Park Hye-jeong716, 73622
260Kim Min-jong716, 76622
368Kim Hyun-joong 46–4721
368Kang Ji-young 61–6221
368Kim Suna65–6621
368Lee Min-jung72–7321
368Kim Sung-soo76–7721
368BoA88–8921
368Jung Jae-hyung88–8921
368Han Seung-yeon 93–9421
368Park Gyu-ri 93–9421
368Han Ji-min105–10621
368Park Tae-hwan109–11021
368Ko Chang-seok111–11221
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Reception

The first episode of the show received mixed reviews. According to Asiae, the show concept was promising, but the crew could not use the location to full potential, and the pace was not fast and dynamic enough.
Despite a slow start, Running Man became increasingly popular in South Korea and throughout Asia. In its home country, the show was watched by 2.1 million people on average. Due to the existence of fansubs, it is watched outside of Asia as well, being translated into English, Spanish and Arabic, among others.
According to Singaporean daily newspaper The Straits Times, the popularity of the show is due to its unpredictability, the comedy involved, the celebrity guests and the chemistry between the regular cast members. Assistant professor Liew Kai Khiun at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore attributes the appeal of Running Man to the ability of using public space in a creative way: "Running Man is about taking audiences to the various corners of not only South Korea, but the region as well. In the rather fast-paced urban societies in Asia, the show helps to provide release from the daily tensions that such streets and buildings are associated with." Liew thinks that the cast members are not particularly good looking, thus have nothing to lose, even if they "wrestle with one another like children".
According to producer Jo Hyo-jin, the show is popular because the concept of having to choose a winner is culturally easy to understand. He also named the good relationship between the regular members as one of the reasons for the show's success. Celebrity guests like Super Junior, Girls' Generation, and 2PM play an important part in the success as well, although they sometimes induce criticism. For example, after the airing of the BigBang episodes, some viewers complained that the band won too easily. However, Jo denied any special treatment of the celebrities. Jo explained that fans are also highly critical of the games, therefore it is not possible for the crew to reuse games without changing them.
The regular members of Running Man have held several fan meetings throughout Asia. In October 2013, their Singapore fan meeting drew a crowd of 3,000. When the cast arrived for shooting in Vietnam and other countries, they were greeted by thousands of fans at the airport.

Discography

In conjunction with the 9th year of show, the show held their first ever fan-meeting in South Korea. During the fan-meeting, they collaborate with the different singers. On September 22, 2019, the extended play titled Running Man Fan Meeting: Project Running 9 was released.

Ratings

Tours

Other works

Merchandising

In order to "relay the feeling of Running Man", Running Man has made merchandises available on sale since 2015. The products ranging from stickers, socks, hats, shirts, and shoes.
On May 26, 2015, a special project called the "Running Man Challenge" was made in collaboration with a footwear co-created platform, ROOY. Its main objective is for the fans to design a shoe that "would unify and coordinate between the cast members." 777 submissions were made, and in June 2015, a design made by a fan named Noh Seung-soo was selected to be the official design for the shoes. The shoes went on sale on February 22, 2016. Currently, a second "Running Man Challenge" is held. The winner for this challenge will have their design to be the new shoes.
In 2016, Running Man collaborated with NBA to make a 300th Anniversary special hats and shirts.

Animation

On June 14, 2017, it was announced that Running Man will be adapted into a half-hour animated show. It features the original seven members, including former member Gary, in animal form. The show will have 24 episodes and EXO-CBX will provide the theme song for it. Additionally, the animated show will be the first to be broadcast in UHD in South Korea. On August 11, 2018, the animated show premiered on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia as an English dub.
On December 5, 2018, the "Running Man, 2018" animated series was released in theaters. On December 19, 2020, an animated movie, originally serving as a six-episode preview of the new season, premiered on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia as an English dub with the title "Running Man: The Ultimate Challenge".

Comic book

In March 2013, a comic book adaptation of the series was published. The series, titled Running Man: How do I Find the Kidnapped Idol?, is written by Hong Yong-hoon and illustrated by Kim Moon-shik. The comic book, which is aimed for children, was released on March 25, 2013.

Musical

On March 30 and 31, 2019, a play which was titled, "The Musical Running Man" was performed at Busan Citizen's Hall.

Other appearances

International versions

Running Man had first sold the franchise to China which became Running Man China in 2014. They later sold the franchise to Vietnam and Indonesia in 2019. However, the Indonesian version of Running Man has not been produced.
As of April 25, 2025, there have been aired 18 seasons within 4 versions of Running Man.
Country/RegionLocal titleNetworkSeason & WinnerMember
Chinalang\-\|奔跑吧兄弟|labels=noplainlist|
plainlist |
abbr|TBA|To be announcedinterlanguage link|Sha Yi|zh|沙溢interlanguage link|Zhang Zhenyuan|zh|張真源

Spin-off

Outrun by Running Man is the first official spin-off series of the long running programme, featuring original cast members Kim Jong-kook, Haha, Jee Seok-jin, Song Ji-hyo, and Yang Se-chan. The show premiered on November 12, 2021, and is available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Controversy

Gary's departure

In September 2012, Gary made a surprising announcement on social media about his intention to leave the program. It is believed that his intention came from the recent criticism concerning the "Super 7 Concert" which his company, Leessang Company, was producing. Gary decided to take responsibility for its failure by resigning himself from any activities. Due to this, Running Man production staff and the members decided to postpone their filming schedule on September 24–25, 2012 to convince him to stay in the program. A week later, Gary officially apologized for the controversy he created and confirmed his decision to remain as a member of the program. In 2016, Gary again announced his departure from Running Man to focus on his music. However, in 2018 Gary went on Naver TV for an interview and honestly said the reason he wanted to leave the program was that he had nothing left to offer compared to other members or upcoming members. This caused Running Man to have a 6-member cast for a few months before casting two new members, Yang Se Chan and Jeon So Min. Gary returned on episode 336 as a surprise guest.

Season 2 proposal

On December 14, 2016, it was announced that Kim Jong-kook and Song Ji-hyo were leaving the show. Song was to focus on her acting career, while Kim would continue individual activities. The announcement came with a revamp of the program for a second season airing in January 2017, in which Kang Ho-dong was in talks for joining. This would have been the first collaboration between Yoo Jae-suk and Kang Ho-dong since X-Man ended in 2007. However, it was revealed that Kim Jong-kook and Song Ji-hyo were not given any notice about their removal. The following day, Kang Ho-dong's company, SM Culture & Contents, announced that the entertainer had pulled out from the program. SBS released an apology to Kim, Song, and the other Running Man members the same day.
On December 16, 2016, an emergency meeting was held, where consensus was reached to keep the original members and end the program in February 2017. However, on January 24, 2017, SBS announced that the show would continue airing past February. The decision came after Nam Seung-yong, the new Vice President of SBS Entertainment Headquarters, who was involved in conceiving Running Man, had further conversations with every member in regards to the show's future. After Nam apologized to Kim Jong-kook and Song Ji-hyo for all of the issues regarding the program, Kim became actively involved in convincing the other members to continue working on the program.

Webtoon plagiarism

On April 28, 2019, Running Man was criticized for plagiarizing Naver webtoon Money Game. The aired episode showed cast members put into a studio and given money to spend as a group. The fans of Money Game pointed out the similarities between the episode concept and the webtoon's storyline. Money Game writer Bae Jin-soo and Naver Webtoon, the platform in which the webtoon is published, both stated that they never received prior notification or requests for consent to be able to adopt the webtoon's storyline into a Running Man episode. In response, producers of the show issued an apology to both parties.

Depiction of Taiwan

During an episode aired on December 7, 2020, the show depicted China and Taiwan as separate countries when playing a board game, which caused outrage and call for boycotts in China.

Injury

It was revealed that the cast had suffered various injuries such as herniated discs, as a result of the physically challenging games in the show.

Awards and nominations