Oh Se-hoon "Will Make Seoul a City Good for Exercise"... Accelerating Citizen Health Project

Mayor Oh mentions Wrist Doctor 9988 and says "Feeling Rewarded"
Promoting Seoul Restructuring including Garden City and Han River Reorganization

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced his intention to make Seoul a city conducive to exercise. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is promoting various citizen health projects, including the restructuring of the Han River centered on the 'Great Han River,' Wrist Doctor 9988, and Garden City.

On the 13th, Mayor Oh participated in the '2024 Seoul Race' held at Seoul Plaza, running together with 12,000 citizens. The event, first established in 2000 to commemorate the completion of the newly created full marathon course along the Han River, started from Seoul Plaza and proceeded through Seoul’s representative landmarks such as Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cheonggyecheon Stream, and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is participating in the '2024 Seoul Running' event held on the 13th.
[Photo by Seoul City] [Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, Mayor Oh directly mentioned the Wrist Doctor 9988 and Garden City projects, stating, "We will continue to strive to make Seoul a city where running, walking, and exercising are easy and enjoyable."

Wrist Doctor 9988 is a smart healthcare initiative launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2021 to promote healthy lifestyle habits and improve citizens’ health. It is one of Seoul’s 'million-seller' policies, having surpassed one million users. Recently, it was revamped as 'Wrist Doctor 9988+' with plans to support self-management of metabolic syndrome and mental health in addition to walking and diet management.

Efforts are also accelerating in the restructuring of physical spaces such as Garden City and the Great Han River. Previously, in May last year, Mayor Oh presented the vision for 'Garden City Seoul,' outlining four core strategies?emptiness, connection, ecology, and emotion?and key projects. Earlier this year, detailed implementation plans for 'Garden City Seoul' were unveiled, revealing a concrete vision where gardens permeate daily life and citizens can tangibly experience the Garden City. The goal is to create 1,007 gardens by 2026 by utilizing idle spaces within the city. This includes spaces near roads and plazas as well as small leftover areas in residential neighborhoods.

Projects related to the 'Great Han River,' one of Mayor Oh’s flagship initiatives, are also underway. As part of the process to open an era by 2030 where 10 million people use the Han River’s water surface, plans include building hotels and offices on the water and creating marina complexes and food zones along the riverbanks to expand citizens’ access to the Han River. The operation of the Han River Bus, recently renamed from River Bus, and waterfront maintenance work are in progress. Additionally, projects aimed at restoring connectivity to Han River waterfront spaces, which have been segmented by arterial roads, are being implemented. Representative examples include the restructuring of Gangbyeonbuk-ro and Olympic-daero.