[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] Ansan Hwangtotgil Opens... Which Places Were Benchmarked?

A loess path was opened on the 17th along the Ansan (鞍山) mountain road near the back gate of Yeonbuk Middle School in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu. The 'Ansan Loess Path' is 450 meters long and 2 meters wide, with foot-washing facilities and rest areas installed at both ends for comfortable use. Unlike loess paths in other areas, a mist fountain facility was installed to keep the loess moist at all times. Additionally, a 'loess foot bath' was installed to provide a different kind of stimulation to the soles of the feet while walking on the loess path.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The district combined sandy soil (coarse sand) and loess in a uniform ratio to fill this path, and installed transverse drainage channels between the loess paths to ensure good water drainage during rain and minimize loess erosion. Seongheon Lee, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, "We plan to gradually expand the barefoot loess paths where people can feel healthier and happier while walking," adding, "We hope that the coexistence of nature and daily life experienced on the loess path will lead to vitality in everyday life."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

District officials visited four locations to enhance user satisfaction: Gyejoksan in Daejeon, Balbadak Park in Dobong-gu, Yangjaecheon Stream in Gangnam-gu, and the loess path within the Gimpo Eco Healing Center. The Gyejoksan loess path was created by Cho Woong-rae, chairman of Mackiss. Chairman Cho, who frequently visited Gyejoksan, had his first barefoot experience in 2006 when he took off his shoes for a woman wearing high heels during a mountain hike with close acquaintances and walked barefoot on a stone path. Afterwards, he began laying high-quality loess along the 14.5 km stone path with the thought of "sharing this experience with more people." Mackiss Company manages this path 365 days a year, holds forest concerts every Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 PM starting from the second week of April, and has hosted an annual barefoot walking festival.

Foreign family participating in the Gyejoksan Hwangtotgil Festival
[Photo by McKiss Company]

On August 9th, 1,323 jamboree participants from Brazil (1,028 people) and Vietnam (295 people) who attended the World Jamboree visited Gyejoksan and experienced barefoot walking on the loess path. Chairman Cho Woong-rae said, "Seeing overseas youth enjoy walking barefoot on the Gyejoksan Loess Path makes me proud," and added, "We will continue to maintain it so that it becomes a loess path visited by people worldwide."

On August 9, participants from Brazil and Vietnam attending the Jamboree are experiencing the red clay trail of Gyejoksan.
[Photo by Mackiss Company]

Balbadak Park, located in Banghak-dong, Dobong-gu, was renovated in 2021, transforming the existing wet loess path into a foot health path (including acupressure and dry loess paths). The ecological pond for natural ecological experience and observation was expanded, and the old walking trail pavement was replaced with eco-friendly cork pavement. The overall vegetation of the park was also supplemented. They planted 7 tall trees including king cherry trees, 8430 small trees including mountain azaleas, and 23,590 herbaceous plants including Heuchera, totaling 28 species that harmonize with the existing plants.

Gangnam-gu developed a premium Metasequoia road along 2.9 km between Yeongdong 2 Bridge and Yeongdong 6 Bridge on Yangjaecheon Stream, planting 589 Metasequoia trees. While renovating Yangjaecheon-ro, they created an eco-friendly walking path including a 600-meter barefoot loess path and foot-washing stations, allowing residents to walk barefoot on the loess path and enjoy the nature of Yangjaecheon more healthily.

Balbadak Park in Dobong-gu
Photo by Dobong-gu

Gimpo City established a 'Barefoot Walking Health Loess Path' inside the Hangang Wild Bird Ecological Park. Using high-quality wet loess instead of hardened loess, it was made eco-friendly without mixing cement. The path is 300 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, and unlike general hardened loess, it has excellent elasticity and absorbency, making it ideal for light barefoot walking. Convenience facilities such as eco-friendly foot-washing stations and a photo zone to create precious memories in the ecological park were also installed.

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