Gwangju Seo-gu to Host 'Dosim Manbal Festival' at Geumdangsan on the 11th

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, will hold the Urban Barefoot Festival on the 4.1 km section of the Barefoot Road (Manbaro) created on Geumdangsan in Pungam-dong on the 11th.

According to Seo-gu on the 9th, this festival was promoted to commemorate the creation of ‘Naegyeote Manbaro’ in all 18 neighborhoods of Seo-gu, including sections 1 and 2 of Geumdangsan, and to offer residents a time of health and healing in nature.

Poster of the 1st Dosim Manbal Festival.
Photo by Seogu

The opening ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on the main stage set up at the entrance of the Geumdangsan trail (opposite Pungam Lake Park), where Kwon Taek-hwan, principal of the Barefoot School of Korea, will give a mini-lecture on proper barefoot walking. After warming up exercises with the festival theme song ‘Barefoot Youth,’ the main event will begin.

In particular, Seo-gu attracted attention even before the festival by releasing the theme song ‘Barefoot Youth,’ sung by Seo-gu Mayor Kim I-gang and officer Yang Jin-young.

On the day, on Geumdangsan Barefoot Road section 1 (main stage-Hwangtotang-Bukjin Seowon-main stage), participants can walk with Principal Kwon Taek-hwan and ask anything in the ‘Q&A Humanities Lecture,’ and experience loess soil with barefoot guides. In section 2 (Artificial Waterfall-Pungam Pavilion-Pungam Reservoir-Pungam Pavilion-Artificial Waterfall), where surprise events will take place, various barefoot walking programs will be held.

Also, on the main stage, a ‘Healing Concert Manbaro Classic’ featuring flute, saxophone, and acoustic guitar performances will be held for relaxation, and health practice booths such as a mental health slow mailbox and dementia prevention cognitive enhancement experience will be operated.

Especially near Geumdangsan at Bukjin Seowon, a tea-sharing booth sharing the spirit of sharing of Hoejae Park Gwang-ok, the originator of the ‘Good City Seo-gu,’ and family-oriented experiential activities will be held.

Additionally, at the festival site, events such as the Geumdangsan Barefoot Road stamp and the mobile app ‘WalkOn Manbaro’ will be held, and the first 511 participants will receive shoe bags and sports towels.

Seo-gu Mayor Kim I-gang said, “The barefoot roads created throughout Seo-gu have become a representative brand of Seo-gu, attracting nationwide attention from local governments by increasing residents’ satisfaction through low-budget, high-efficiency good administration. We will also carry out this festival solidly to improve residents’ quality of life and make it a representative festival of Seo-gu.”

Meanwhile, Seo-gu completed a total of 7.7 km of barefoot roads in 22 locations across 18 neighborhoods, including neighborhood parks and school playgrounds, from 2022 to early this year, and plans to add 3 km of barefoot roads in six locations, including Nongsung Square, Hyosa and Uncheon Children’s Parks, and the May 18 Memorial Park, by next year.

Shin Dong-ho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr