[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] 6.5km Walk for Diabetes Patients... 11 Billion Steps Collected

Dong-A Socio Group Launches Step Donation Campaign
Supporting Vulnerable Diabetic Patients
Over 11 Billion Steps Accumulated...120,000 Participants

Dong-A Socio Group is supporting diabetes patients through a walking campaign involving people with diabetes, their families, and the general public.

According to Dong-A Socio Group on the 17th, the company has been conducting the "Beyond Diabetes, Steps of Hope 6.5km Walking Campaign" since 2021 in collaboration with the Diabetes Research Foundation to support people with diabetes. The 6.5km walking campaign was designed to motivate people with diabetes to recognize the importance of walking exercise and to practice it. The 6.5km distance symbolizes maintaining glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) below 6.5%, which is one of the diagnostic criteria for diabetes.

Donations are made through the walking donation platform "Big Walk." After downloading the Big Walk app, participants select the 6.5km walking campaign and donate the number of steps accumulated in their daily lives. The four previous campaigns all significantly exceeded their target step counts. The 6.5km walking campaigns held in May and November 2021 resulted in about 3.9 billion steps donated, which was 316% of the target. In the two campaigns held last year, about 7.1 billion steps were collected, 95% more than the target.

Participants are taking a commemorative photo at the Dong-A Socio Group's "Beyond Diabetes, Walk for Hope 6.5km Campaign" held in May last year.
[Photo by Dong-A Socio Group]

Over two years, the cumulative number of steps from the four walking campaigns reached approximately 11.065 billion steps, with a total of 124,169 participants. The donations collected through step donations were used to support underprivileged people with diabetes through the Diabetes Research Foundation.

This year’s walking campaign will also be held. Now in its fifth iteration, the campaign period runs from May 1 to October 30, lasting six months. It is again open to people with diabetes, their families, and the general public, and participants can join via the Big Walk app. The target step count for this campaign is 6.5 billion steps, more than double the previous four campaigns’ target of 3 billion steps.

Walking donation platform 'BigWalk' hosts the 'Beyond Diabetes: Walk 6.5km for Hope Campaign'.
[Image source=BigWalk app capture]

To mark the start of this year’s campaign, the company held a commemorative event at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju from the 11th to the 13th during the Korean Diabetes Association Spring Scientific Meeting. Attendees included Won Gyu-jang, Chairman of the Diabetes Research Foundation, Seo Kyo-il, President of the Korean Diabetes Association, Kim Young-seol, Vice President of Dong-A ST, and other campaign officials.

The Diabetes Research Foundation, which conducts the walking campaign with Dong-A Socio Group, was established to promote the advancement of diabetology and contribute to public health improvement and overcoming diabetes through systematic support for diabetes research projects and international academic activities. The foundation carries out academic research and educational activities on diabetes, awareness campaigns, public interest projects for people with diabetes, and promotional activities for diabetes prevention and management.

Won Gyu-jang, Chairman of the Diabetes Research Foundation, said, "Many people with diabetes have been able to continue their treatment through the 6.5km walking campaign with Dong-A Socio Group. We will do our best to provide better treatment options through diabetes research and educational activities so that people with diabetes can receive improved care."

A representative from Dong-A Socio Group stated, "Diabetes requires continuous treatment, but many patients cannot receive proper care due to financial difficulties. We will spare no effort to support people with diabetes both materially and spiritually so they can focus solely on their treatment, not only through the 6.5km campaign but also through other means."

'Walking Beyond Diabetes: A 6.5km Walk for Hope' Campaign Poster. [Image provided by Dong-A Socio Holdings]