Gyeonggi Province to Create 403 Barefoot Paths in First Half of 2025

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] With Gyeonggi Province announcing plans to secure 1,000 'Gyeonggi Earthen-Scent Barefoot Paths' by 2026, the province will create 403 barefoot paths in the first half of this year.

On the 27th, the province held an on-site discussion forum at the Barefoot Path in Pungsan Nearby Park 3 in Hanam City and the Narool Library, where it shared the 'Gyeonggi Earthen-Scent Barefoot Path Guidelines' containing these details.

Previously, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon declared at the 'Gyeonggi Earthen-Scent Barefoot Path Creation Declaration Ceremony' on November 13 last year that the province would implement a project to create 1,000 barefoot paths for residents' health, with at least one in each of 603 eup, myeon, and dong (neighborhoods).

Accordingly, the province will create 403 barefoot paths in the first half of this year, the first full year of the project. These include 377 dry-type paths (ochre mixture with volcanic sand as the main material), 3 wet-type paths (volcanic sand mixture with ochre as the main material), 14 sand paths, and 9 ochre foot-bath paths (ochre-based with foot-bath effects). The project cost is 36.914 billion won (70% from provincial budget, 30% from municipal and county budgets).

Project sites will be selected through consultations between the province and municipalities and counties based on demand surveys. The province plans to achieve the target of 1,000 paths through the existing 108 paths created, 403 paths in the first half of this year, and 489 paths planned for next year.

Additionally, the guidelines include standards for design, construction, and safety management; the province's policy direction; cooperation systems among municipalities and counties; accident prevention; facility maintenance; and complaint handling.

Meanwhile, the province held an on-site discussion forum with officials from 31 municipalities and counties to accompany the development of these guidelines. Through barefoot walking effect education, guideline explanations, and case presentations, the province shared successful cases and challenges, and verified actual on-site conditions through barefoot path experiences.

The event was attended by approximately 150 people, including Hanam Mayor Lee Hyun-jae, Kim Seong-soo, chair of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council's Budget and Settlement Special Committee, Park Dong-chang, president of the National Barefoot Walking Movement Headquarters, as well as officials from 31 municipalities and counties and citizens.

Lee Jeong-su, head of the Garden Industry Division of Gyeonggi Province, said, "We prepared these guidelines to promote a culture of safe and healthy barefoot walking among residents," adding, "We will more effectively implement the barefoot path creation project by actively reflecting the candid voices of municipalities and counties gathered at the on-site discussion forum."