'Reduce Exercise, Focus on Crowded Places'... Complaints of Anxiety Using Mountain Trails and Parks

The 'Walking Spot' Connecting Namsan to Seoul Forest Also Quiet
"Exercise Time and Frequency Reduced to Nearly Half Compared to Before"

At around 3 p.m. on the 19th, at the entrance of Eungbong Neighborhood Park in Jung-gu, Seoul. Although it is a popular hiking spot with trails connecting Namsan to Seoul Forest, it was surprisingly quiet. Over the course of about 30 minutes, the only people heading to the park were two elderly individuals, a couple with a child, and one woman exercising alone. Shin (56, female), who went out for exercise without earphones, said, "After hearing about the Sillim-dong sexual assault incident, I took out my earphones and kept looking around while exercising. I also reduced my exercise time and frequency to about half of what it was before." She added, "My daughter is worried and doesn’t want to come out to exercise much."

Around 3 p.m. on the 19th, at the entrance of Eungbong Neighborhood Park in Jung-gu, Seoul. It is a popular hiking trail connecting Namsan to Seoul Forest, but contrary to its reputation, it appears quiet.
Photo by Taewon Choi skking@

At around 10 p.m. on the 20th, citizens’ anxiety remained at Daehyeonsan Reservoir Park in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The central track of the park, which has many streetlights and is open on all sides, was easy to find people exercising on. However, the walking trails along the park’s outskirts had fewer streetlights and were relatively deserted. Hong (33, female), who went out to exercise that day, said, "It’s true that I feel uneasy when I have to go out to exercise or walk alone." She added, "Even when I go out to exercise, I tend to stick to areas with exercise equipment and where people gather, rather than just the walking trails in the park."

Following a series of violent knife attacks and the daytime sexual assault incident in Sillim-dong, citizens are expressing fear about using mountain trails and parks. The victim of the Sillim-dong sexual assault was attacked while commuting through a hiking trail she usually used. She had no prior acquaintance with the perpetrator, Choi (30).

Around 10 p.m. on the 20th, Daehyeonsan Reservoir Park in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Unlike the central track of the park, which has many streetlights and is open on all sides, the walking path along the outskirts was quiet.
Photo by Taewon Choi skking@

Citizens unanimously agreed that crime prevention measures are urgently needed. Shin said, "Even looking at this mountain trail (Eungbong Neighborhood Park), there are not many closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), and there are many secluded spots." She added, "I think safety could improve if CCTV installation is expanded and patrols are increased." Lim (28, female) also said, "It would be good if the police could patrol more frequently in crime-prone areas and implement direct crime prevention measures." She emphasized, "Just knowing that patrols are frequent would make crimes less likely to occur." In response to the series of violent crimes, the police and local governments are taking measures to address crime-vulnerable areas. The Gwanak Police Station in Seoul is considering establishing a mountain patrol unit, and the Gwanak District Office is planning to operate 'Park Safety Keepers' as part of their countermeasures.

Experts emphasize the need for comprehensive measures to alleviate citizens’ anxiety. Lee Geon-su, a professor in the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University, suggested, "While it is necessary to strengthen CCTV installation where needed, areas deemed dangerous through crime prevention assessments should also be managed in terms of risky time periods and the nature of walking trails." Lee Woong-hyuk, a professor in the Department of Police Science at Konkuk University, said, "Various agencies from the central government and local governments should collaborate to implement Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in such spaces, enabling natural surveillance, controlling movement paths, and establishing monitoring systems that provide an overall view." He added, "Instead of approaching incidents locally each time they occur, a comprehensive approach is necessary."

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