Gyeongju City 'Buzzes' with Silla Moonlight Walking Festival, Housing Upgrades, Welfare and Youth Awards

Gyeongju City is actively carrying out a wide range of initiatives, including hosting a large-scale walking event that will light up the night in the 1,000-year-old city, improving residential environments, cleaning up the environment, supporting vulnerable families, and recognizing a series of policy achievements by young people.

First, the city will host the 24th Silla Moonlight 165-ri Walking Festival in and around Gyeongju from the afternoon of October 31 through November 1, a two-day, overnight event.

Gyeongju City Hall (exterior)

Starting at Hwangseong Park, the event offers courses ranging from a 65-kilometer full course to a 10-kilometer healing course. About 4,000 people, including residents and tourists, are expected to take part and enjoy Gyeongju's historic and cultural sites and beautiful night views.

Efforts to engage residents in improving their living environment have also continued.

On October 28, Gyeongju City held a briefing on the Dongcheon District Aging Residential Area Improvement Support Project at the Dongcheon-dong Administrative Welfare Center, with about 40 residents in attendance, and shared plans for moving the project forward.

The city plans to create a pleasant and safe residential environment by removing vacant homes and providing home repair assistance.

Acts of community kindness and environmental protection efforts have also drawn attention.

About 200 members of the Gyeongju Saemaul Association held a carbon-neutrality campaign in the area around the Hyeongsan River History and Culture Tourism Park, collecting trash from the river and tossing EM soil balls.

Gyeongju Family Center also signed a business agreement with De Mong Social Cooperative to connect private-sector lodging and activity resources and provide tailored support to help vulnerable and at-risk families achieve emotional stability and rebuild family relationships.

Good news has also come from young people.

The Mosase team from Angang Youth Culture House proposed creating an inclusive playground for children with and without disabilities in Hwangseong Park at the 3rd Gyeongju Children and Youth Policy Forum, winning the Innovation Award (Gyeongju Mayor's Award).

In addition, “Youth Tium Week,” proposed by Lee Hajung, team leader at the Gyeongju Women's Short-Term Youth Shelter, won first prize in the National Assembly event naming contest and was selected as the event's official name.

Meanwhile, the Gyeongju Mental Health Welfare Center held the “Let's Face It Together” joint campaign in the area around Jungang Market, where about 300 residents took part in stress assessments and activities to improve awareness of mental health.

A Gyeongju City official said, “This fall, meaningful achievements are being made across a range of fields, from culture and tourism to residents' livelihoods and welfare, as well as young people's contributions for future generations. We will continue to actively pursue on-the-ground administration that residents can see and feel.”

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