KakaoPay is launching a marathon campaign that raises donations to support small merchants based on users' step counts. It has set a target of 50 billion cumulative steps this year and plans to donate up to 1.5 billion won depending on progress toward that target.

KakaoPay said on Monday it will hold the online and offline charity marathon, dubbed the 2026 LONG RUN, to support small merchants in partnership with singer Sean (션)'s YouTube channel, "Sean Together."

Under the campaign, participants walk or run using KakaoPay's pedometer service to accumulate steps, and KakaoPay funds donations based on the cumulative results.

The donations are structured so that 500 million won is funded when total participants' cumulative steps reach 10 billion. Another 500 million won is added when they reach 30 billion steps, and an additional 500 million won when they reach 50 billion steps. If all targets are met, a total of 1.5 billion won will be raised.

The online event runs for 30 days from 2 p.m. on Monday to 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 18. Participation is free and is available through KakaoPay's pedometer service.

Participants can check the total cumulative step count, their individual contribution, rankings and other information in real time on the pedometer service. This year, it also added a friend-invite function and a crew competition that can include up to 30 people.

The offline marathon will be held at 9 a.m. on Nov. 28 at Misa Rowing Park in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. Applications open at 2 p.m. on Monday, with 5,000 participants accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. KakaoPay plans to deploy emergency medical staff on site and safety personnel by course, and manage participant density.

Shin Won-geun (신원근), CEO of KakaoPay, said, "I hope even more people will join this year to gather steps together and help small merchants and small brands grow for a long time."