[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] "I worried about walking well and even developed shoes"

Hong Jaehwa, CEO of Philmax, "Walking: The Optimal Exercise for the Elderly"

As people age, their bodies become heavier. The saying that even eyebrows feel heavy becomes more relatable. Among seniors aged 65 and older, only 13.3% are active without any illnesses. This means that most are experiencing activity limitations along with chronic diseases. According to Statistics Korea, the gap between physical life expectancy and healthy life expectancy was 18.3 years as of 2018. Considering that this gap tends to increase over time, it implies that the last 20 years of life are often spent in a state where even walking is difficult. Narrowing the gap between these two life expectancies through exercise has become an important task in the aging era.

Hong Jaehwa, CEO of Philmax (62), emphasizes that “walking is a good exercise for the elderly to maintain their legs as a means of mobility for a long time.” We met him at Namsan Hanok Village, where he developed ‘Earthing shoes,’ footwear dedicated to walking. Hong, a graduate of Chung-Ang University’s Department of Trade, is an expert in trade who worked at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Panama Trade Center and currently serves as both a trade consultant and a shoe company CEO.

Filmax CEO Hong Jaehwa is walking along a mountain path in Namsan Hanok Village, Seoul, talking. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

Hong says that walking well is also important for walking itself. He goes as far as to say, “You can see health by looking at the feet.” Modern people living busy lives often wear pointed, high-heeled shoes. Later, they suffer from conditions such as hallux valgus (commonly known as bunions), plantar fasciitis, or interdigital neuroma, which are sometimes called “high heel disease.”

Hong’s experience of walking barefoot played a crucial role in creating the ‘Earthing shoes.’ He once walked barefoot for five hours round-trip to Baegunsan Lodge in Bukhak Mountain. He said, “It wasn’t a dirt path but a gravel path, so the pain was worse than I expected, but after finishing and washing my feet in flowing water, I felt refreshed.” He explains this as the grounding effect. Hong explains, “Our bodies carry a positive charge of 3 to 6 volts, but the moment the bare foot meets the ground, it becomes zero volts. Meeting the earth’s negative charge neutralizes it, and at this time, reactive oxygen species inside the body are discharged.” However, insulating shoes and asphalt roads block this grounding effect.

It’s not always possible to walk barefoot. That’s why he developed the ‘Earthing shoes,’ dedicated walking shoes. He said, “For modern people living apart from nature, it is practically impossible to always ground themselves on bare soil.” He added, “We embedded conductive rubber in the shoes to make them electrically conductive, creating barefoot shoes that provide earthing.” Additionally, he paid attention to foot health by designing a thin sole about 3mm thick and a wide toe box. “Modern shoes place great importance on design. Shoes that look pretty and stylish tend to have sharp straight lines rather than natural, flexible curves. Such shoes unnaturally squeeze the toes toward the center, limiting the toes’ ability to balance.”

Filmax CEO Hong Jaehwa is walking along a mountain path in Namsan Hanok Village, Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

He also said that walking serves as a form of meditation. “I pursue the aesthetics of slowness, which opposes the modern life that pushes for higher and faster. When walking through places where you usually pass by in a car at 100 km/h, you no longer just skim past objects but observe them at a speed of 3 to 4 km/h. Through this, you learn to contemplate things.”

What are some ways to make walking a habit? He first recommends ‘quantifying walking.’ For example, setting a specific goal such as 10,000 steps a day or walking for 30 to 50 minutes daily. Visiting popular walking spots and observing others walking to get motivated is also good. Since fun is an essential factor, it’s important to occasionally take unfamiliar routes instead of always walking the same path. He also advised creating walking groups with acquaintances and making group chat rooms where members can share “I walked today” to encourage each other.

Starting next month, Hong plans to walk alone from Cheonan Samgeori to Haenam Ttangkkeut, a distance of about 335 km. If he walks 15 km a day, it will take about three weeks. “Of course, I could walk 30 km a day, but that goal can also be achieved on a treadmill at the gym. I plan to walk leisurely while seeing and hearing the unique culture and stories of the people in each area.”