Korea Yakult's 'Donating Health Stairs' Used by 2 Million Annually... Largest Since Installation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Korea Yakult's "Donation Health Stairs" installed at Seoul City Hall Citizen's Hall has surpassed 2 million annual users.

According to Korea Yakult on the 4th, the "Donation Health Stairs" is the first health stair project planned domestically by Korea Yakult in 2014. It is a participatory social contribution activity where donations are accumulated each time users climb the stairs. Every year, Korea Yakult donates 10 won per user as accumulated funds. With 2 million users last year, Korea Yakult delivered a total of 20 million won to Seoul City this year.

Oh Jeong-hwa, a manager at Seoul City's Health Promotion Division, said, "'Donation Health Stairs' was planned with the support of Korea Yakult to encourage healthy habits among modern people and to create a sharing culture that anyone can easily participate in."

The donations are used to support elderly people living alone who are in welfare blind spots. It plans to support social networks to prevent unexpected accidents such as solitary death, food deprivation, and housing problems for 300 elderly people living alone designated by Seoul City.

Now in its 7th year of operation, the cumulative number of users of the "Donation Health Stairs" is about 5 million. The cumulative number of stairs climbed reaches 196 million steps. Converted to height, this is about 39,200 km, which is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest more than 2,000 times.

Kim Jun-geol, head of Korea Yakult's Customer-Centered Team, said, "We have been steadily supporting the 'Donation Health Stairs' since 2014 to contribute to the creation of a voluntary and free donation culture," and added, "We will continue to carry out participatory social contribution activities to convey the importance of healthy habits and the joy of sharing."

Meanwhile, Korea Yakult additionally installed the "Seocho-gu Health Stairs" at Seoul Express Bus Terminal Station in 2015. The cumulative number of users of this health stair reaches about 3 million.