[One Day Thousand Steps One Day Thousand Characters] ‘LNT’ You Need When Walking on Forest Trails

According to the Korea Forest Service's "Survey on Public Awareness of Hiking and Forest Trail Experiences," hiking and trekking have become recognized as "national outdoor activities," with 78% of the Korean population (32.29 million people) participating, and the number of people enjoying hiking is increasing every year.

As the hiking population grows, mountain accidents are also on the rise. Most of these accidents occur due to failure to follow safety rules. The Korea Mountain Rescue Association, supported by the Korea Forest Service and the Korea Hiking & Trekking Support Center, conducts an annual forest trail safety campaign.

Scenes from the 2023 Forest Trail Safety Campaign by the Korea Mountain Rescue Association
[Photo by Korea Mountain Rescue Association]

The "2023 Forest Trail Safety Campaign" ran from June to November this year at 17 major mountains and forest trails nationwide. Mountain rescue team members operated campaign booths, removed falling rocks from hazardous areas, installed safety signs, and carried out environmental cleanup activities. The rescue team members participating as operational personnel in the campaign were members of the Korea Mountain Rescue Association who completed first aid and mountain rescue training.

Scenes from the 2023 Forest Trail Safety Campaign by the Korea Mountain Rescue Association
[Photo by Korea Mountain Rescue Association]

The campaign informed hikers about hiking safety rules and LNT (Leave No Trace) at major hiking trails and forest trail entrances, and operated programs where participants could learn and directly experience first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). LNT stands for Leave No Trace. The best way to protect the environment is to leave it as it is, and the best way to protect nature is to leave no trace. Simply put, it means taking back everything you brought with you and not touching cultural or historical structures and artifacts.

Scenes from the 2023 Forest Trail Safety Campaign by the Korea Mountain Rescue Association
[Photo by Korea Mountain Rescue Association]

Additionally, the campaign distributed 13,000 handkerchiefs containing safety rule information during the campaign period, receiving great response. Besides operating campaign booths, the team inspected hazardous areas to remove falling rocks and install safety signs, and conducted environmental cleanup activities using professional climbing equipment such as climbing ropes to remove trash left in sections difficult for the general public to access. Especially this year, efforts were made to restore hiking trail sections damaged by landslides caused by record-breaking heavy rains during the monsoon season. No Ik-sang, president of the Korea Mountain Rescue Association, stated that mountain rescue team members will continue to promote the forest trail safety campaign to prevent safety accidents and lead the creation of a pleasant forest trail environment.