A Small Comfort Through Words and Pictures... Gangbuk-gu Establishes 'Mind Health Shelter'

20 Resting Benches and 4 Outdoor Tables Installed on Opaesan Barrier-Free Trail and Odong Park Loop Trail... Completed Through Talent Donation by University Student Mural Club

Ma-eum Shelter established on Opaesan Barrier-Free Trail

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Gyeom-su) has installed a "Mental Health Shelter" featuring suicide prevention illustrations along the Saengmyeong Sarang Forest Trail.

The Saengmyeong Sarang Forest Trail is a walking path designed to deliver warm comfort and encouraging messages to those visiting mountains or parks feeling depressed.

The district decorated the forest trail by placing signposts engraved with life-respecting phrases along the existing exploration paths.

This shelter was established on the Opaesan Barrier-Free Trail and Odong Park Perimeter Trail, both part of the Saengmyeong Sarang Forest Trail developed by the district. Members of the university student mural club "Kkumkkuneun But" (Dreaming Brush) participated in creating the shelter through talent donation. The students engraved healing phrases on 20 wooden benches and 4 outdoor tables and painted accompanying illustrations.

The mural club members and the district held preliminary meetings to decide on the illustration images and phrases. They selected bright and positive images such as blue seas, sunflowers, and fairy tale characters. The life-respecting phrases were chosen to convey warm comfort and hope. Members handwrote phrases like "Cheer up! Tomorrow will be happier," "You are precious just as you are," and "We are by your side."

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, "I believe the pictures and phrases in the shelter will act as an 'alchemy of the mind' that quickly dispels sadness," and added, "I hope people feel healed in body and mind as they walk along the life-respecting forest trail."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.