Athletics was banned by royal ordinances along with other sporting events until the 16th Century because sports were believed to interfere with archery, the key military training discipline. In the 17th Century, Athletics was revived and in the 18th Century, long-distance races took place on public roads in various areas. The runners were later arranged to go around a designated stadium as requested by the public which was interested in watching the competitions.

In the 1840s, colleges and universities adopted and sponsored these athletic events. From 1880 to 1920, various countries established national sports associations. The international athletics organization, called the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), was established in 1912 and in 1936 it absorbed the Federation Sportive Feminine Internationale (FSFI), which was established in 1921. This international organization has managed international athletics competitions and official world records until today.

Hutchison, an English teacher first introduced athletics to Korea in 1869. In 1920, the Joseon Sports Association was established to lay the foundation for the development of athletics in Korea. With the Joseon Athletics Championship held in 1929, athletics in Korea began to take on advanced forms.

Korea was particularly successful in the Marathon. Marathoner Son Ki Jung won the gold medal in 1936 at the 11th Berlin Olympic Games and Hwang Young Jo in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympic Games. In 1996, Lee Bong Ju won the silver medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games.