Yongsan-gu Creates Barefoot Walking Paths at Four Locations Including Hyochang and Eungbong Parks

Creation of Barefoot Walking Paths in 4 Parks Including Hyochang Park... Scheduled for Completion May-July
Reflecting Park Characteristics with Loess and Sand Soil Paths and Loess Foot Baths... Foot Washing Stations Also Provided
Expansion Plans by Zone to Ensure Accessibility for Residents Within Walking Distance

Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) will create a total of 510㎡ of barefoot walking paths in four local parks this year.

The aim is to meet the rapidly increasing demand for barefoot walking and enhance satisfaction with park usage.

Barefoot walking is known to have effects such as ▲nerve stabilization ▲relief of inflammation and pain ▲normal functioning of the immune system, gaining much popularity in the area.

The parks where barefoot walking paths will be established this year are ▲Hyochang Park (150㎡) ▲Eungbong Park (120㎡) ▲Seongchon Park (60㎡) ▲Ichon Children's Park (180㎡), with a total investment of 460 million KRW, including 300 million KRW from city funds.

The barefoot walking paths will basically be made of soil mixed with loess and sandy soil. Facilities such as foot washing stations and benches will also be installed to ensure comfortable use by residents.

In particular, Hyochang Park will feature a loess foot bath considering residents' demand. The loess foot bath is a facility where users exercise by stepping on moist loess as if washing blankets.

At Seongchon Park, plans are being reviewed to install both barefoot walking paths and regular walking trails so that residents who do not use the loess paths are not restricted in their park routes.

After opening, the soil paths will be maintained using in-house personnel. They will keep moisture at an appropriate level and remove foreign substances such as fallen leaves to maintain optimal conditions for barefoot walking.

Designs are currently underway for each park, and the paths are scheduled to be open to the public from May to July this year. A district official stated, “We will continue to discover small-scale barefoot walking path sites by region,” revealing plans to expand loess paths.

Previously, the district enacted and implemented the Ordinance on Supporting the Activation of Barefoot Walking in Yongsan-gu, Seoul last year, and refurbished existing soil paths at Dolmoru Children's Park to create a 100m barefoot walking path.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Meeting residents, I often hear about the barefoot walking loess paths, which shows their popularity,” and added, “We will do our best to allow residents to enjoy barefoot walking paths throughout Yongsan, enabling health management without much effort.”