Seoul's leisurely morning walk-and-run program returns Sunday

"I loved being able to run without worrying about my time — please hold this event again." That was the reaction of one blogger, known online as Choco Bingsu, after taking part in Sweeom-Sweeom Morning, Seoul's casual morning exercise program.

The program, which drew satisfaction ratings of 90.4 percent and a 96.1 percent willingness to return among first-half participants, resumes this month after a successful pilot run earlier this year.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Saturday, Sweeom-Sweeom Morning — whose name roughly means "take it easy" — is not a competitive race but a free-form lifestyle fitness program open to walkers, joggers, cyclists, stroller-pushers and dog owners alike, each moving at their own pace. After a pilot run in March confirmed strong public interest and participation, the city is relaunching the program for the second half of the year on a regular basis.

A survey of the 1,864 participants from the first-half pilot found that 1,685, or 90.4 percent, said they were satisfied, while 1,790, or 96.1 percent, said they intended to participate again.

The second-half season opens Sunday, from 7 to 9 a.m., along a roughly 5-kilometer route running from Yeouido Park's Culture Plaza along Yeouidae-ro and across Mapo Bridge and back. The city said it will use only select lanes to ensure participant safety while minimizing disruption to regular traffic.

On July 19 and July 26, also from 7 to 9 a.m., the program will introduce a new downtown course for the first time — a 2-kilometer out-and-back route departing from Seoul Plaza and running between Sejongno Intersection and Sungnyemun Intersection. The Seoul Plaza course marks the first expansion of the program beyond its original Yeouidae-ro–Mapo Bridge corridor into the city center.

At each event, participants can also take part in a range of supporting activities tailored to different fitness levels, including a mobile fitness assessment station, a stretching zone and a photo zone.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it plans to continue developing new routes linking Han River bridges and parks, taking into account operational results and seasonal conditions.

"Buoyed by the strong public response we saw during the first-half pilot, we are moving to regular operations of Sweeom-Sweeom Morning in the second half of the year," said Kim Myeong-ju, director of the city's tourism and sports bureau. "We will continue to make use of diverse spaces across Seoul to create an environment where residents can enjoy morning exercise as a natural part of daily life, and to spread a Seoul-style morning fitness culture."