[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] 'Vinyl House Dirt Road' That Is Worry-Free Even in Rain or Snow

Seodaemun-gu Ansan and Seongnam Yuldong Park Red Clay Path
Heaters, Lighting Fixtures, and More Installed

During the cold winter, 'Hwangtotgil' paths where people can walk barefoot without worry even when it snows, rains, or the temperature drops are gradually being created. Typically, Hwangtotgil paths close in winter due to safety concerns such as frozen surfaces and frostbite. However, as requests to keep them open continue, local governments are installing 'vinyl greenhouses' over the Hwangtotgil paths.

A representative example is the Ansan Hwangtotgil located in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Opened last August, the Ansan Hwangtotgil attracted an average of about 2,300 visitors daily. In response, Seodaemun-gu built a vinyl greenhouse over a 450-meter section so that citizens could enjoy the Hwangtotgil even in winter. On the 11th of last month, a grand opening event was held to commemorate the nation’s first Hwangtotgil vinyl greenhouse. Despite rain and strong winds on the opening day, about 50 attendees including Seodaemun-gu Mayor Lee Seongheon and residents of Yeonhui-dong walked barefoot on the Hwangtotgil comfortably.

A Seodaemun-gu official explained, “Although the number of visitors has decreased compared to summer and autumn due to winter, there are still people coming to the Hwangtotgil. Existing foot-washing stations are not operated due to concerns about pipe freezing, but we have prepared convenience facilities such as a temporary foot-washing station near the restroom.”

On December 2nd, a vinyl greenhouse was also installed over a 73-meter section of the barefoot Hwangtotgil in Yuldong Park, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Initially, Seongnam City announced that six barefoot Hwangtotgil paths in the area, including the one in Yuldong Park, would be closed until March as winter approached. To prevent damage and indiscriminate use of the barefoot paths, they planned to cover them with burlap material. However, due to winter operation complaints about the popular barefoot Hwangtotgil, which attracted about 2,000 visitors daily, a part of the 740-meter Yuldong Park barefoot Hwangtotgil was designated and developed as a winter pilot operation section. Inside the vinyl greenhouse, two heaters and 20 lighting fixtures were installed. The operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The existing foot-washing stations had their water pipes drained and water supply cut off to prevent freezing. Therefore, a temporary foot-washing station was set up near the nearby restroom with a water heater and shower installed. A roughly 100-meter path from the barefoot Hwangtotgil to the temporary foot-washing station was equipped with footboards and slippers were provided.

A Seongnam City official said, “The barefoot Hwangtotgil inside the vinyl greenhouse will be a healing space where citizens can walk barefoot all year round, regardless of rain or snow.”