[Harumanbo Harucheonja] Please Use the Stairs Here... 'Healthy Pleasure' Gained from the Subway

Forget about the subway escalators and elevators for a moment and climb the stairs one step at a time. Climbing two steps burns 0.3 kcal, and for each stair user, 10 to 20 or 30 won is accumulated and donated to neighbors in need. This is a representative healthy donation staircase of Healthy Pleasure, where you can take care of your health and donate at the same time. Healthy Pleasure is a combination of the words Healthy and Pleasure, meaning the joy of managing health. You can add the joy of donation to the health stairs created with health in mind.

The healthy donation stairs were first created in Seoul in 2014 and have since expanded nationwide. A representative example is the healthy donation stairs installed at the Seoul City Hall Citizen’s Hall. It is a public-private partnership public interest activity planned jointly by hy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Every time a user climbs the stairs, hy donates 10 won. Since its installation in 2014, 12 million people have used it over nine years, accumulating 100 million won. hy supports vulnerable groups with health foods equivalent to the accumulated amount. This year, they plan to provide cup fruits and yogurt to 250 children from vulnerable groups. hy managers deliver the food to the children’s addresses five times a week from April to June.

Health Donation Stairs installed at Seoul City Hall Citizen's Hall
Photo by hy

At Gangnam-gu Office Station on Subway Line 7, there is the ‘Art Healthy Donation Staircase.’ For each user, the bio-health company ‘365mc Networks’ accumulates 20 won as a donation. Every year, 400,000 to 500,000 people use these stairs. The Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation, a public foundation established by 19 domestic life insurance companies, has installed healthy donation stairs at City Hall Station, Wangsimni Station, Sangbong Station, and Gyeongbokgung Station. At Gyeongbokgung Station, the stairs feature a Taegeuk pattern design and produce gayageum sounds when stepped on. The accumulated donations are used to support walking aids for children with disabilities who have difficulty walking. Yonsei University Gangnam Severance Hospital and SR Corporation, the operator of the Suseo High-Speed Railway, are accumulating a certain amount of social contribution funds based on the number of users through the ‘Healthy Donation Staircase with Neighbors’ at SRT Suseo Station.

In Busan, there is the ‘BNK Healthy Donation Staircase’ at Kyungsung University·Pukyong National University Station on Subway Line 2. It was the first to be installed in the Busan area in 2016, and when citizens use the stairs, 10 won per person is accumulated. The accumulated funds are donated to the Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation Busan Regional Headquarters. BNK Busan Bank created a donation fund of 20 million won by adding 11 million won to the 9.3 million won accumulated from about 930,000 citizens using the stairs over one year from June last year, and delivered it to the foundation on the 21st. The accumulated amount over the past seven years is 140 million won. Busan City, Busan Transportation Corporation, Housing and Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG), and the Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation installed the ‘HUG Love Healthy Donation Staircase’ at Busan Station Exit 7, Nampo Station Stair 5, Sajik Station Stair 2, Sasang Station Stairs 4 and 6, etc. For each user, 10 won is accumulated as a donation and is provided to children’s households in vulnerable housing conditions at the end of the year.

SRT Suseo Station's 'Health Donation Stairs with Neighbors'
[Photo by SR]

In Incheon, at Exit 1 of Citizen’s Park Station on Line 2, a donation of 30 won is accumulated each time a citizen uses the stairs, sponsored by Incheon Sarang Hospital. In Gyeonggi Province, they are installed at Anyang Station, Uijeongbu Station, Uijeongbu City Hall Station, and Dongan-gu Office. The ‘Nabi Angel Staircase’ at Anyang Station is donated to neighbors in difficult circumstances. It was created in 2017 through the talent donation of multimedia artist Kim Hyunjung and the donation of Hyosung Corporation.

The healthy donation stairs installed at Exit 5 of Uijeongbu Station also accumulate 10 won per user, and the accumulated amount is delivered to low-income residents in the district through donations from four sponsoring organizations (Heegyeong Medical Foundation St. Peter’s Hospital, Chu Hospital, Han Seonghee Dental Clinic, Korea Racing Authority Uijeongbu Branch). At Exit 2 of Uijeongbu City Hall Station, the Uijeongbu Arts Center has installed and operates the ‘Piano Donation Staircase.’ The piano donation staircase is designed so that light and music respond each time a user steps up or down. A donation of 10 won per user is automatically accumulated, and the collected donations are delivered to the Community Chest of Korea and others at the end of each year. The donations through the healthy donation stairs in Dongan-gu Office, Anyang, are sponsored by medical institutions located in Dongan-gu, such as Kim Hyunggeun Eye Hospital, Wills Memorial Hospital, and Seoul Eye Clinic. Dongan-gu Office, Dongan-gu Public Health Center, and Anyang Sharing Movement Headquarters cooperate to execute donations every year for neighbors in need.

Melody stairs installed at Sinmae Station of Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation
Photo by Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corporation

In Daegu, Daegu Science University has the ‘Piano Healthy Donation Staircase’ at the stairs toward Yongji at Guam Station on Line 3. It consists of nine piano key-shaped stairs, and each time citizens step up or down one step, a lively piano key sound plays and LED lights turn on. A small donation is also accumulated according to the number of users. There is also a seven-color melody healthy donation staircase inside the waiting room at Sinmae Station on Daegu Line 2. In Gwangju, at Exit 4 of Sangmu Station on the Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit, the ‘Love Healthy Staircase’ accumulates 10 won per citizen each time they climb the stairs, sponsored by Shinsegae Eye Clinic. Shinsegae Eye Clinic donated 5 million won and eye health checkup vouchers worth 2.25 million won this year to Ajaram Group Home, Gwangju Migrant Women Support Center, and Segwang School in this manner. In Daejeon, there is a healthy donation staircase at City Hall Station.