Gwangjin-gu Launches Forest Therapy Program at Achasan and Children's Grand Park

Gwangjin-gu will use the forest resources of Seoul Children's Grand Park and Achasan to run a forest therapy program aimed at improving residents' physical and mental health.

The initiative was selected through a competitive application process run by the Korea Forest Welfare Institute under its "public health center-linked forest therapy demonstration project," designed to systematically manage residents' health through forest environments and verify the effects of forest therapy.

The district will select 40 participants aged 60 and older who are at risk of metabolic syndrome or have chronic conditions. Sessions will run every Monday and Thursday — 16 sessions in total — from Sept. 7 through Nov. 5, at Seoul Children's Grand Park and the Achasan area.

The program covers proper forest-trail walking techniques and terrain-based exercise, sensory experiences and meditation in the forest, an Achasan forest outing, and forest therapy cooking.

What sets this initiative apart is that it goes beyond a simple forest experience: pre- and post-program medical assessments will generate data to objectively verify whether forest therapy produces measurable health improvements.

Before and after the program, participants will undergo metabolic syndrome blood tests, depression screenings, fitness assessments and health-lifestyle surveys to comprehensively track physical and psychological changes. The district plans to expand the forest therapy program based on the findings.

"Outstanding natural assets like Achasan and Seoul Children's Grand Park are invaluable resources for protecting residents' health," Gwangjin-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said. "We will continue to actively integrate the district's exceptional natural environment with health and welfare projects to deliver specialized health-promotion policies that residents can feel in their daily lives."