Seoul's Nowon-gu will install "healing refrigerators" — chilled water dispensers stocked with free bottled water — at 18 locations along major walking trails and riverside paths starting July 22, district mayor Seo Jun-o announced.
Nowon-gu introduced the healing refrigerator program in 2020, becoming the first district in the country to adopt such a heat-wave response measure. Designed as a community-level policy, it provides chilled water to residents exercising or spending time outdoors during summer to prevent heat-related illness. The initiative has since been adopted as a model by numerous local governments across the country.
This year's program runs for 30 days from July 22 to Aug. 20 and will be available on weekends and public holidays. Operating hours and the overall schedule may be adjusted in the event of severe weather or natural disasters such as flooding.
The 18 sites — the same locations used last year — were selected based on high resident foot traffic, focusing on popular walking trails and riverside areas. They comprise 11 trail locations and seven riverside spots.
The trail locations are distributed across Suraksan Barrier-Free Forest Trail (two spots), Yeongchuksan Barrier-Free Forest Trail (three spots), Choansan Barrier-Free Forest Trail (one spot), Gyeongchun Line walking trail (two spots), Bulamsan Butterfly Garden (one spot), Gyeongchun Line Light Garden (one spot) and Junggye neighborhood park (one spot). The seven riverside installations are at Jungnangcheon (four spots), Danghyeoncheon (two spots) and Uicheon (one spot), improving accessibility for residents along all three waterways.
Visitor numbers are expected to rise significantly this year at the newly opened Danghyeon Maru and Ui Maru facilities, as well as at Gyeongchun Maru, which is set to officially open in July. The nearby healing refrigerators are expected to help prevent heat illness and provide a place to rest for those visitors.
Each refrigerator is stocked with 330-milliliter label-free water bottles, replenished eight to 12 times a day on average, with supply frequency and volume adjusted based on on-site demand. Operating hours run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., varying by location. On-site management is handled by the Nowon-gu Voluntary Disaster Prevention Corps, which oversees water distribution, inventory checks and upkeep of the surrounding area.
The program also maintains its eco-friendly approach. All water provided uses label-free bottles, and collection bins are set up at each site so the water supplier can retrieve empty bottles several times a day. Last year, about 2.28 million bottles were supplied and about 1.83 million were collected, achieving a recovery rate of roughly 80 percent. The recovered PET bottles are recycled into eco-friendly clothing and other products.
The district is also prepared to respond flexibly to adverse weather. Operations will in principle be suspended when rain is forecast, though the final decision will take into account the timing of the forecast, expected rainfall and on-site conditions. At riverside locations at risk of flooding, staff will move refrigerators and equipment immediately to a safe location if danger arises.
In last year's satisfaction survey, 98.2 percent of the 45,786 respondents said they were satisfied with the program. Common responses included "It's like an oasis in the heat" and "Please keep running this every year." The district plans to conduct a satisfaction survey again this year and use the feedback to improve operations and incorporate residents' opinions into future planning.
"As heat waves have become a daily reality due to climate change, we are running the healing refrigerator program so that residents can take a short break and stay healthy close to home," district mayor Seo said. "We will continue to respond proactively to extreme heat and work tirelessly to develop policies that people can feel in their everyday lives, making for a safe summer."
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