Gwangmyeong City to Add Barefoot Walking Trails to Three Neighborhood Parks

Saebit, Soha, and Hanne Neighborhood Parks to Open in August
Convenient Facilities Such as Foot-Washing Stations and Shoe Racks to Be Provided

Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province announced on June 5 that it will add barefoot walking trails to three neighborhood parks in the city by August.

A barefoot walking trail in Gwangmyeong City. The city plans to add and open barefoot walking trails in three neighborhood parks by August. Provided by Gwangmyeong City

The new barefoot walking trails will be created at Saebit Neighborhood Park (100 meters), Soha Neighborhood Park (100 meters), and Hanne Neighborhood Park (200 meters).

A city official explained, "This project reflects citizen requests that were made through communication channels such as 'Dialogue with Citizens' and 'Suggestions to the Mayor'." The city plans to invest 270 million won starting this month and complete construction by August.

The trails will be created by making the most of existing spaces. At Saebit Neighborhood Park, the current walking mats will be removed and the area will be redeveloped into a circular barefoot walking trail. At Soha Neighborhood Park, an unused acupressure path will be dismantled and replaced with a new dirt path for comfortable walking. At Hanne Neighborhood Park, part of the existing embankment trail will be improved so that both barefoot walking and regular walking can be enjoyed together.

The city also plans to provide convenient facilities such as foot-washing stations and shoe racks near the barefoot walking trails at Saebit Neighborhood Park and Soha Neighborhood Park.

Since 2022, the city has been steadily expanding its barefoot walking trails and is currently operating a total of 18 trails. The existing barefoot trails are located at Gureumsan Forest Bath, Dodeoksan Uramhoe Fitness Center, Seodoksan Hobonggol, Hyeonchung Neighborhood Park, Wangjaesan Neighborhood Park, Garim 2 Children's Park, Cheolwangsan Neighborhood Park, Dodeoksan Wildflower Complex, Neobudae Neighborhood Park, Dodeoksan Neighborhood Park, Gwangdeoksan Neighborhood Park, Deokan Neighborhood Park, Iljik Riverside Park, Hanne Neighborhood Park, Gwangmyeong Citizen Sports Center, and Anyangcheon.

Park Seungwon, Mayor of Gwangmyeong, said, "The barefoot walking trails created in parks close to residential areas in the city are becoming healthy leisure spaces that boost vitality in citizens' daily lives," and added, "We will continue to expand healthy leisure spaces that citizens can truly experience."

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