[Harumanbo Harucheonja] Even in Seoul, Children All Together on 'Jeju Olle'

Jeju Olle, Seoul Forest Walking School Popular
Jeju Olle Walking Festival for Children Also

With the arrival of May, a great month for walking, various programs of Jeju Olle are gaining popularity. Participants are flocking to the walking school operated in Seoul, and the walking festival for children, held for the first time this year, was also successfully completed.

Jeju Olle's traveling walking school "Jigeum Olle?" has been taking place around Seoul Forest since March this year. To support this, Jeju Olle established a Seoul Center in Seongsu-dong, Seoul Forest in February. The program, held once a month on the second Thursday, consists of lectures and walking. Participants listen to special lectures by Jeju Olle Chairperson Seo Myeong-suk and CEO An Eun-ju, then walk 4 to 5 km around Seoul Forest.

This program is popular enough to attract participants not only from the metropolitan area but also from Busan, Gwangju, and Gangwon-do. The first event in March had a capacity of 30 people but was fully booked within a week, leading to an increase to 45 participants. Subsequently, 70 people joined in April, and 52 on the 9th of this month, totaling 167 participants over three events. Actor Ryu Seung-ryong also took part in the program, sharing his Olle Trail stories with participants and walking together. Jeju Olle plans to develop a course connecting Seoul Forest to the Han River.

Jeju Olle is attracting attention regardless of location or age. A representative example is the "1st 2024 Pellong Pellong Jeju Olle Children’s Walking Festival" held on the 11th. The walking festival took place over approximately 4 km from Jajugri Park on Jeju Olle Course 6 to Gudumi Port, with 270 children and 277 guardians participating.

During the walk, the children listened to the sounds of nature at the Citizen Book Cafe Sora-ui Seong and viewed an exhibition of poems written by the children themselves. They also experienced Color Hunting by Color Lab Jeju, wish house strings and Milky Way constellations prepared by the Seogwipo City Cultural Center, a bubble performance by Kupasang from Japan, and jump rope and limbo games organized by the Jeju Olle Academy Alumni Association.

Participant satisfaction was also high. In a survey answered by 104 guardians after the festival, the event received a score of 4.64 out of 5. An Eun-ju, CEO of Jeju Olle, said, "Since the Jeju Olle Trail was created in 2007, this is the largest number of children who have walked the Olle Trail. We will strive to convey the value and philosophy of the Olle Trail to the children who will be the future leaders and ensure it remains a beloved and remembered path even 100 years from now."