Seoul Expands Forest Therapy Program, Signs Agreement with Korea Forest Welfare Institute and Hankook Tire Welfare Foundation

Three-way agreement to collaborate on forest therapy and transportation support

Four pilot sessions successfully completed this year, including specialized courses

Regular sessions to be held quarterly starting next year, with links to employment opportunities

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is expanding its forest therapy program to help employed people and job seekers from housing-vulnerable groups ease emotional distress. Building on the successful pilot program, the city plans to strengthen tailored programming for different participant groups when the regular program begins next year.

To that end, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Oct. 29 that it had signed an agreement on Oct. 28 with the Korea Forest Welfare Institute and the Hankook Tire Welfare Foundation to operate the forest therapy program, “Todak-todak” and “Supgiljabi.”

The signing ceremony for the forest therapy program. Seoul Metropolitan Government

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will oversee the project and, through the Seoul Homeless Employment Support Center, identify participants and provide counseling before and after the program. The Korea Forest Welfare Institute will provide professional forest therapy programs using green funds (lottery proceeds), while the Hankook Tire Welfare Foundation will provide its “Tieum Bus” to make travel between the city and the forest easier. The partners will pool their resources and expertise to reduce operating costs, including program expenses and vehicle and fuel costs.

Under the agreement, the forest therapy program, “Todak-todak” and “Supgiljap (JOB)i,” will run as a regular program to support people from housing-vulnerable groups who are experiencing emotional difficulties after a long job search or while adjusting to work after finding a job.

Applications will initially be accepted from employed residents and users of homeless facilities, as well as people registered as job seekers with the Seoul Homeless Employment Support Center or homeless facilities. Participants will take part in tea therapy, in which they sit together and brew tea; hinoki cypress therapy, which offers rest in a ball pool filled with hinoki cypress balls; sound walking, in which they listen to the wind and birdsong using sound-amplifying devices; and relaxation in hammocks in the forest. At the end of the program, they will share their impressions and receive information on forest-related qualifications and jobs.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government previously ran four pilot sessions between April and October this year. In the first half of the year, the program was for employed people and job seekers at homeless facilities. In the second half, it offered a specialized course for women experiencing homelessness, varying the target groups and program content by session. At the women’s session on Oct. 13, attended by 36 women experiencing homelessness, the city considered participants’ need for emotional support and limited opportunities for outdoor activities. It left out more physically demanding activities and added music therapy and a poetry reading in the autumn forest.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has noted the effectiveness of the forest therapy program. In surveys of women experiencing homelessness conducted before and after their participation, stress, depression, anxiety, and fatigue fell to less than half after a day spent in the forest.

After participants complete the program, the city plans to continue supporting their recovery in daily life and at work through ongoing counseling and job-information referrals from the Seoul Homeless Employment Support Center. “The strength to hold on to a job that was hard to obtain comes from recovering from emotional exhaustion,” said Kim Jongsoo, Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Welfare Planning Officer. “We will continue working closely with our partner organizations so that a day of rest in the forest can bring new energy to their lives and give them the courage to return to work.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.