Competition Rate 57 to 1... The Top "Spacing Out" Champion to Be Crowned Again at Hangang This Year

80 Teams Selected for the 2025 Hangang Spacing Out Contest
Winners Determined by Technical and Artistic Scores Over 90 Minutes

The "Hangang Spacing Out Contest," where participants compete by maintaining a state of doing absolutely nothing for a set period of time, will be held again this year.

The 2025 Hangang Spacing Out Contest will take place at 4 p.m. this Sunday, May 11, at the Jamsu Bridge in Banpo Hangang Park. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which announced the details on May 9, a total of 4,547 teams applied during the application period from April 18 to 23, and 80 teams (128 participants) were selected to compete. The competition rate reached 57 to 1.

This year, participants range in age from their teens to their sixties. Their professions are also diverse, including students, soldiers, paramedics, environmental officers, social workers, train operators, and correctional officers.

The winner of the Spacing Out Contest will be determined based on a comprehensive evaluation of two criteria over 90 minutes: technical score (heart rate graph) and artistic score (on-site citizen voting).

Yonhap News

The technical score is calculated by checking the heart rate monitors worn on the participants' arms every 15 minutes and awarding points based on their heart rate graphs. In addition, citizens at the event can read the stories of the participants and vote for the team they wish to support.

The first-place winner will receive a trophy and a certificate, while the second and third-place winners will receive certificates. All participants will be awarded a certificate of participation in the 2025 Hangang Spacing Out Contest.

The contest is open for anyone to attend, and from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., side events such as the "Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttubukttubuk Festival" flea market, food trucks, and a healing zone will also take place.

Park Jinyoung, head of the Future Hangang Headquarters at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "Every year, the Hangang Spacing Out Contest draws great attention and popularity, making us realize how much busy modern people need and value rest," adding, "We will continue to strive to make the Hangang River a source of even more creative relaxation and energy in citizens' daily lives."

The Hangang Spacing Out Contest has been held annually since its first event in 2016. Until last year, a total of 19,403 teams had applied, and 497 teams (654 participants) have competed. Last year, the contest drew international attention when CNN in the United States reported on the event.