Establishment of Barefoot Walking Activation Ordinance and Management Manual
Professional and Proactive Administration to Garner Positive Response
50 Personnel Deployed... Daily Inspection of User Inconveniences
Gwangju Seo-gu is receiving positive evaluations for increasing user satisfaction among residents through proactive administration in barefoot walking. The photo shows professionals maintaining the area. [Photo by Gwangju Seo-gu]
Gwangju Seo-gu (District Mayor Kim Ikang), which sparked a barefoot walking craze in Gwangju, is receiving praise for its exceptional efforts in managing barefoot walking trails, significantly enhancing user satisfaction.
Seo-gu was the first autonomous district in Gwangju to establish and implement an ordinance to promote barefoot walking. This year, it has attracted attention by developing a professional and proactive barefoot trail management manual.
Since 2022, Seo-gu has completed the creation of 28 barefoot walking trails across all 18 neighborhoods, including Geumdangsan and Sangmu Citizen’s Park, and plans to add three more by the end of this year, bringing the total to 31.
Seo-gu is putting great effort not only into creating barefoot walking trails but also into their maintenance and management.
In connection with senior job projects, Seo-gu has assigned 50 personnel to 26 barefoot walking trails to inspect daily for any inconveniences. Dedicated maintenance staff have also been separately selected to routinely remove foreign substances around the barefoot paths, level and compact surfaces, maintain drainage facilities, clean foot washing stations, and perform surrounding mowing work.
Additionally, six highly frequented barefoot walking trails are equipped with soil boxes, encouraging residents to voluntarily replenish lost soil and participate in maintaining the barefoot path environment through a positive community campaign. Starting next year, Seo-gu plans to designate key barefoot trails and install specialized facilities such as lighting and complex foot washing stations to further increase resident satisfaction.
Moreover, in May, Seo-gu held the first-ever “Barefoot Festival in the City” in the Honam region and supports various resident participation and walking activities by operating barefoot walking clubs and programs.
Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, “The phrase ‘If you want to walk barefoot, go to Seo-gu’ has become popular as the barefoot walking trails are gaining great popularity not only among Seo-gu residents but also among all Gwangju citizens.” He added, “We will implement good policies with small budgets that yield high resident satisfaction, realizing a government where residents live healthy and happy lives.”
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