'No waking up allowed' — and snoring isn't cheating either

"No waking up allowed. Snoring by the person next to you is not a foul."

Signs bearing that message were posted throughout Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu on May 31, where Yuhan-Kimberly hosted its "Woori Gangsan Pureuge Pureuge Forest Deep Sleep with Dogs" competition. The event was exactly what it sounds like: the participant who sleeps most soundly alongside their dog wins. Pet owners and their dogs traveled from across the country to take part.

Thirty teams — each consisting of one dog and one owner — competed. The competition drew 1,140 applicants, a ratio of 38 to 1. Participants were selected based on written entries describing why they wanted to join, with preference given to compelling stories — such as owners who had adopted stray dogs or people dealing with high stress from busy daily lives, Yuhan-Kimberly said.

The competition venue, tucked among the dense trees of Seoul Forest, was calm and serene. Dozens of beanbag sofas were spread out in the shade. Birdsong drifted in between stretches of soft background music, making it easy to close one's eyes and drift off. Picnic mats were laid out beside the beanbags for the dogs. The canine competitors arrived in style — poodles with neatly braided fur, others dressed in an assortment of colorful pajamas.

The event began at 9 a.m. with a pre-competition massage session designed to ease tension. Owners and their pets worked through rehabilitation and bonding massages together to find a sense of calm and slip into "sleep mode." During a preparation period, participants put on sleep masks and strapped on wearable vests before the competition began.

The main competition ran from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The winner was determined by the greatest reduction in stress index over the roughly one-hour period. Each participant wore a vest equipped with sensors that measured heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate and autonomic nervous system balance to calculate an overall stress index. The participant whose readings stabilized the most between the start and end of the competition took first place. Whether the dogs themselves fell asleep was not factored into the scoring.

Once the competition began in earnest, participants settled into their preferred positions and tried to fall asleep. Some dogs dozed off alongside their owners, while others nestled in their owners' arms and gazed at the surroundings or explored the area. A few dogs were initially on alert, but most soon followed their owners into rest mode once the owners began to settle down.

The winner was Han Do-a, 39, from Gangnam-gu, Seoul, whose stress index dropped by nearly 18 percent over the course of the hour. She received a one-night stay at Sono Pet Vivaldi Park in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. "I think not sleeping well the night before actually helped me win," Han said with a laugh. "The experts created such a relaxed atmosphere that I was able to fall into a deep sleep."

The event also named a "Best Pajamas" winner. Several participants had indeed shown up in actual sleepwear. The title went to Guk Min-ji, 34, who arrived dressed in hanbok, traditional Korean attire. "I chose hanbok because I wanted to take pretty photos and videos with my dog," Guk said. "With so many dogs gathered in one place, it was also a great chance for my dog to develop social skills — it was a wonderful experience."

Participants came with a range of stories. Lee Eui-jin, 37, also from Gangnam-gu, said her dog's naturally languid and calm temperament had prompted friends to recommend she enter. "Being able to make memories together in the forest is really meaningful," she said. One participant had taken an express bus all the way from Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province with her dog. Park Na-hyeon, 28, said the journey was worth it. "This is the first year the competition has been held, so I wanted to see Seoul Forest and share the experience with my dog — that's why I made the trip even though it's far," she said.

Yuhan-Kimberly has held its "Forest Deep Sleep" competition since 2016 as part of its corporate social responsibility campaign "Woori Gangsan Pureuge Pureuge" ("Keep Korea Green"). The event lets participants experience the value of nature and the importance of healthy sleep by resting in a forest setting. This year, the 11th edition of the original human-only competition was also held — on May 30 — drawing 70 participants. That event attracted more than 10,000 applicants, a ratio of 176 to 1.

The "Keep Korea Green" campaign is South Korea's longest-running forest and environmental public-interest campaign, launched by Yuhan-Kimberly in 1984. Through tree planting and forest stewardship, the company works to address climate change and environmental challenges. To date, it has planted and tended 58 million trees at home and abroad. Seoul Forest, where the May 31 competition was held, holds particular significance for Yuhan-Kimberly: the company helped create the park in 2003, contributing to a forested area of roughly 3,000 pyeong (about 9,900 square meters).

This year, with South Korea's pet-owning population surpassing 10 million, Yuhan-Kimberly held the "Forest Deep Sleep with Dogs" competition for the first time. The event reflects a growing trend, particularly among younger generations, of seeking healing in nature as an escape from hectic urban life — visible in phenomena such as the recent craze for hiking pilgrimages on Gwanaksan. The May 31 competition drew a notably large number of female participants from the MZ generation (born 1981–2011), which the company said it expects will also help raise its brand profile. Yuhan-Kimberly is a lifestyle and hygiene products manufacturer whose brands include Kleenex, Huggies and Goodfeel.

Bae Cheol-yong, leader of Yuhan-Kimberly's social responsibility work group, said the company launched the pet-focused event in response to the growing number of pet owners in Korea. "We wanted to reach that audience and spread awareness of the beauty of nature and the benefits of forests," he said. "It is also becoming an opportunity to introduce our various brands to younger people."