[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Barefoot Walking with Local Residents"

As barefoot walking emerges as a health exercise, local governments are holding barefoot walking events for residents one after another.

On the afternoon of the 5th, a launch ceremony for the Barefoot Walking National Movement Headquarters Sokcho Branch was held in the pine forest of Cheoksan Oncheon Recreation Village located in Nohak-dong, Sokcho City. About 300 barefoot walking enthusiasts and citizens attended the event, along with key figures including Park Dongchang, president of the Barefoot Walking National Movement Headquarters, Lee Byungseon, mayor of Sokcho, and Kim Myunggil, chairman of the Sokcho City Council. Participants experienced a unique feeling of fatigue recovery accumulated in their bodies through the experience of becoming one with nature by walking barefoot.

President Park Dongchang shared the benefits of barefoot walking while explaining his personal experience of regaining health through barefoot walking and the joy and necessity of the activity.

November 5th, the launch ceremony of the Barefoot Walking National Movement Department Sokcho Branch [Photo provided by Sokcho City]

The enthusiasts and citizens attending the event suggested the early establishment of bare soil paths suitable for the beautiful natural environment of Sokcho and the enactment of ordinances to promote barefoot walking. Mayor Lee Byungseon of Sokcho said, "Amid the barefoot walking craze, local governments are stepping up to create good bare soil paths and barefoot walking trails. Sokcho City will take the lead in promoting citizens' health by creating eco-friendly barefoot walking trails utilizing the mountains and the sea."

Citizens attending the Barefoot Walking Festival amid the Silver Grass Waves on October 4 [Photo by Dalseo-gu]

On the 4th, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, held the ‘2023 Silver Grass Wave Barefoot Walking Competition’ at Horimgangnaru Park and the embankment area of Daemyeong Retention Basin, with about 900 residents participating. The barefoot walking competition, held for the first time this year, took place at Daemyeong Retention Basin, a famous silver grass spot worth visiting in autumn, under the subtitle ‘Earth, Please! Green City Dalseo-gu,’ as an environmentally friendly event. About 900 local residents interested in barefoot walking walked barefoot along the embankment of Daemyeong Retention Basin, enjoying the leisurely autumn scenery of Dalseong Wetland and the beautiful silver grass waves of Daemyeong Retention Basin, savoring the autumn atmosphere. Participants were given ‘No Plastic Bottled Water’ and bags made from recycled discarded banners to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle, and various side events such as cultural concerts and prize draws were also held.

Citizens attending the Barefoot Walking Festival amid the Silver Grass Waves on October 4 [Photo by Dalseo-gu]

Dalseo-gu signed a business agreement with the Barefoot School of Korea (Principal Kwon Taekhwan) on June 29 to promote the ‘Barefoot Love Youth School.’ From July, education was provided five times to about 600 people including volunteers, sponsors, and local residents, and over 1,000 daily necessities (shampoo, soap, towels, etc.) were donated by participants and delivered to social welfare facilities and low-income vulnerable groups. Horimgangnaru Park, where the walking competition was held, is adjacent not only to Dalseong Wetland, a natural inland wetland formed by the confluence of the Nakdong and Geumho Rivers, but also to Daemyeong Retention Basin, famous for silver grass and reeds. An eco-observatory offering views of the golden sunset over Dalseong Wetland is planned to be built nearby.