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| July 31st, 2024 Korea Wellness News |
Welcome to our latest blog post, where we explore the exciting developments in Korea Wellness as of July 31st, 2024.
Renowned for its innovation and holistic approach, Korea Wellness continues to set the pace in the global wellness industry.
In this post, we delve into the nation's newest AI-driven health monitoring systems, offering real-time insights that empower individuals to take charge of their well-being.
We also highlight the booming Korea Wellness tourism sector, attracting global visitors eager to experience traditional Korean practices like Hanbang and modern wellness retreats.
Furthermore, we discuss the government's increased funding for mental health services, emphasizing a comprehensive approach to wellness that includes mental, physical, and emotional health.
Join us as we uncover how Korea Wellness is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, setting a global standard.
Whether you're a wellness enthusiast, a healthcare professional, or simply curious about innovative health practices, this post provides valuable insights into the future of Korea Wellness.
Read on to discover how Korea Wellness is shaping the world of wellness today.
Barefoot walking craze with wellness, new tourist attraction in Sokcho
Barefoot walking has recently gained popularity across the country, with local governments racing to create barefoot paths. One local government in Gyeongbuk Province has even commissioned a study to verify the effectiveness of barefoot walking. At the centre of the barefoot craze is the Barefoot National Movement Headquarters. Founded in 2018, the non-profit organisation has 130 chapters and more than 50,000 members nationwide and is led by Park Dong-chang. Park emphasises the benefits of barefoot walking and recommends walking barefoot on a variety of surfaces, including forest paths and dirt roads. He explains that it stimulates acupressure points on the soles of the feet, which improves circulation and strengthens the immune system.
Sokcho City has also joined the barefoot walking craze, holding the inauguration ceremony of the Sokcho Branch of the Barefoot Walking National Movement Headquarters in November last year and holding a barefoot walking event in the pine forest of Chaksan Hot Spring Resort. Recently, a 420-metre-long barefoot hwangtot trail was built in Yeongnanghoe, a national tourist destination, providing a circular walk of 840 metres. The path is paved with wet loess and has facilities such as loess footbeds, loess ball fields, three footbeds, and shoe racks. The city of Sokcho plans to gradually expand the barefoot path and establish it as a wellness tourism destination. It will be interesting to see if Sokcho's Barefoot Hwangtot Trail will become a wellness-related tourist attraction.
KEPCO's 'Mental Health Support Programme', an exemplary case of mental health management with wellness
KEPCO (President Kim Hong-yeon) operates a comprehensive 'Mental Health Support Programme' for employees, their families, and employees of subsidiaries and partners. Launched in 2020, the programme has attracted attention for its innovative approach to mental health management. The Mental Health Support Programme, in collaboration with EZ&Wellness, a company specialising in IT-based psychological solutions, provides a range of services including online stress assessments, individual and group psychological counselling, and mental health prevention classes.
The most distinctive feature of the programme is its comprehensive support for employees, their families, subsidiaries, and partners. Counselling begins with a phone consultation, followed by in-person counselling as needed, and includes individual psychological assessment and therapy to address a range of issues, including job stress, interpersonal conflict, and family issues. The programme also offers a range of activities such as therapy, meditation, and group counselling to help relieve stress and revitalise the organisation.
The programme has been well-received for relieving job stress and supporting a harmonious work and family life, and the company has expanded its support to subsidiaries and partners to strengthen the sense of community. President Kim Hong-yeon emphasised that high employee efficacy is essential for organisational performance, and expressed her determination to become a company loved by the people through sustainable corporate growth.
Wellness and Global Investment Signs Investment Agreement with Startup Newlook at Boxtreader Conference
On 26 July 2024, Boxreader hosted the 'Boxreader Global Networking Conference 2024' in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, providing an important opportunity for startups looking to attract global investment. The event provided a platform for Korean startups to network with global investors, including a lecture by Chris Yee, CEO of BlitzScaling Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley investor.
Chris, the author of Blitzscaling, shared his insights on attracting global investment, and there was also a panel discussion on how non-English-speaking founders can successfully get investment and expand their business in the US market.
In particular, three startups aiming to expand into the US held investor relations events at the conference, with wellness mainstream startup Newlook signing a term sheet. Newlook aims to normalise and globalise traditional liquor by providing makgeolli that reduces sugar, calories, and hangovers.
"Thanks to Boxthreader, we were able to conduct an IR that global investors wanted to hear, and we were surprised by the speed with which the investment agreement was signed," said Kim Inji Kim, CEO of Newlook. "We will use this opportunity to accelerate Newlook's global expansion and increase the proportion of overseas sales."
"This is a big deal for Newlook, and our goal is to grow into a unique platform that attracts the most global investment in Korea by next year," said Choi Cheol-man, CEO of Park Thredder.
Wellness and digital tourism resident card exceeds 44,000 registrants in Yeongdong-gun
The number of digital tourism resident card registrations in Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, has exceeded 44,000. This exceeds the county's June population of 43,848, and was achieved in just two months. Yeongdong-gun began issuing digital tourism resident cards this year, and 44,709 people have registered to date.
The digital tourist resident card is a project of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, and was introduced in response to the crisis of declining population and disappearing localities. The scheme is available in 34 local governments across the country and offers a variety of benefits, including discounts on entrance fees to tourist attractions and discounts on accommodation, food and beverages.
Yeongdong-gun offers a variety of benefits to digital tourism resident card holders at 34 locations, including the Rainbow Healing Centre, an excellent wellness tourist destination of the Korea Tourism Organization, the new hotel Illight Hotel, wineries, cafes, and restaurants. In particular, the number of visits to the Rainbow Healing Centre, Yeongdong Wa-International, and Illight Hotel is increasing, which is considered to be the highest among the 19 newly selected local governments this year.
An official from Yeongdong-gun said, "We will continue to make efforts to ensure that the digital tourism resident certificate can contribute to the revitalisation of the local economy," and said that they will focus on solving the problem of local attrition through wellness and tourism.
Wellness and marine healing, healing concert to be held in Wando
On 3 August, Wando County announced that it will hold a 'Marine Healing Concert' on a special stage at the Wando Marine Healing Centre. The concert is designed to promote the Wando Ocean Healing Centre, which opened for the first time in Korea, and to promote marine healing.
The Ocean Healing Concert will feature various artists such as Cherry Filter, Shinhwa, Kim Eui-young, Park Sung-yeon, and Trinity, and is free for everyone to attend without any reservation. The concert aims to provide a healing time for locals and tourists who are tired of their busy lives and the heat.
The Wando Ocean Healing Centre is the first marine healing facility in Korea that utilises the clean marine environment and marine resources such as seawater, mud, and algae to heal the body and mind, and is also known as an 'Excellent Wellness Tourism Destination' selected by the Korea Tourism Organization in April.
"We hope this concert will be a great healing time for locals and tourists," said an official from Wando-gun, "and we will continue to make Wando attractive through various attractions and things to do."
Wellness and digital detox, new trends in the hospitality industry
One of the most prominent trends this year is 'doping', a combination of dopamine and farming, which refers to the pleasure of collecting digital content and game items. However, as more and more people feel fatigue from this, the trend of 'dopamine detox' and 'digital detox' is growing. In response, the hotel industry is launching products centred on digital detoxification and wellness to provide guests with total relaxation.
Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju offers a wellness programme where guests can experience a dopamine detox in nature. Guests can recharge their minds and bodies through a variety of activities, including a sunrise run to wake up to Jeju's crisp mornings, forest trekking through hills and forest trails, and sunset yoga against the backdrop of the ocean sunset.
Mohegan Inspiration Resort has introduced the Inspirational Yoga Programme. The programme consists of yoga, singing ball meditation and aroma yoga to help guests regain a calm mind.
Sofitel Ambassador Seoul offers the 'Beauty of the French Mind' spa package, which includes treatments by specialised therapists tailored to your skin concerns and includes early check-in and late check-out for a relaxing day.
LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL has dedicated wellness rooms and offers personalised healing benefits through its 'Wellness Retreats' package. The rooms are equipped with a variety of wellness devices and include a range of services to help you relax.
Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts offers the WALKEE programme, which includes forest experiences with forest guides, healing forests and mindfulness yoga to help guests regain their physical and mental health in nature.
WE Hotel Jeju offers various wellness programmes such as stretching in the forest, aqua caming, and crystal singing ball therapy through the Healing Summer Package to support guests' health and relaxation.
JW Marriott Jeju has also collaborated with Bang & Olufsen to offer a unique way to experience the sunset through the senses of hearing and taste. A 'JW Marriott X Flamingo Estate' playlist and specialised menu will be available to delight the senses.
Oak Valley Resort offers a range of wellness content, including Earthing, Walk & Balance and Wellness Forest Healing, while preserving the natural ecosystem, and Glad Hotel offers the Glad Honey Sleep Season 15 Package to support restful sleep and digital detox.
As such, the hotel industry is offering a variety of programmes and packages to meet the needs of wellness and digital detoxification, giving guests the opportunity to enjoy a healthy and healing break.
Wellness and emotional recovery, cooking class programme at Seogwipo City Elderly Care Centre
On 30 July, the Seogwipo Elderly Care Agency (Director Bae Hwang-jin) ran a wellness programme for five elderly victims of abuse to provide emotional support. The programme consisted of group counselling and a cooking class, with the aim of restoring the elderly victims' daily routines and stabilising their minds and bodies.
The elderly who participated in the programme said they had the opportunity to rejuvenate their lives by cooking and learning new foods. "We will continue to provide various supports for the elderly victims of abuse so that they can restore their daily lives and improve their self-esteem," said Bae Hwang-jin. The wellness programme has made a significant contribution to the psychological stability and quality of life of the elderly, and will continue to be supported in the future.
Wellness and security, Newain receives three international certifications including US HIPAA certification
Electronic medicine company Newin has announced that its device and app-connected monitoring and analytics service platform for ADHD and migraine treatment has received three international certifications simultaneously. The certifications are ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management System), ISO/IEC 27701 (Privacy Management System), and HIPAA (Health Information Protection Act) compliance.
ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 are the most prestigious international standard certifications in the field of information security and privacy, and Newin has demonstrated that it has systematically implemented information security and privacy management. The US HIPAA compliance certification recognises organisations that comply with technical and administrative measures to safeguard patients' personal health information.
With this certification, Newin has met the legal requirements necessary to work with major US and global healthcare organisations and insurers. "It is our ongoing goal to securely manage our customers' personal health information and personalised treatment solution data," said Dohyeong Kim, CEO of Newin, adding that the company plans to launch ADHD device Adnox in the US and wellness device Weednox in Korea.
Wellness and healing forest wins top prize in Seogwipo's 'Barrier-Free Sharing Path' competition
The Healing Forest Barrier-Free Sharing Path in Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, has won the top prize in the 2024 Green Infrastructure Utilisation Best Practice Competition organised by the Korea Forest Welfare Foundation. The contest was held to recognise the public value of green infrastructure projects, and 24 local governments participated.
Seogwipo Healing Forest offers a variety of forest welfare programmes such as anti-aging and forest taiji through barrier-free sharing paths, and has held activities with local residents such as the Wellness Forest Healing Festival and the Cancer Survivors Forest Walk. These various programmes contributed to the Seogwipo Healing Forest winning first place in the competition.
Other projects selected as best practices in the contest include the barrier-free sharing forest at Geumsan Forest Culture Town, the barrier-free sharing forest at Baekdudaegan Forest Ecological and Cultural Experience Complex in Gangwon-do, the barrier-free sharing forest at Mansusan in Namdong-gu, Incheon, the welfare forest at Jangheung Integrated Medical Center in Jangheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, and the welfare forest at Jesus Village Senior Care Centre in Dalseo-gu, Daegu.
Through the contest, the Korea Forest Service plans to actively promote the use of green infrastructure sites nationwide so that more people can have the opportunity to experience forests. "We will discover the best practices of green infrastructure so that more people can enjoy the happiness of the forest," said Nam Tae-heon, director of the institute.
Wellness and decaffeinated coffee: changing coffee consumption trends in South Korea
Coffee remains hugely popular in South Korea, where annual per capita consumption is expected to reach 405 cups in 2023, more than double the global average. According to a recent survey, coffee accounts for 45 per cent of South Koreans' beverage preferences, with Americano and latte accounting for more than 80 per cent.
But the wellness craze is changing the coffee market. As more consumers seek to reduce their caffeine intake while still enjoying the taste and aroma of coffee, the demand for decaffeinated coffee is growing. According to data from the Korea Customs Service, imports of decaffeinated coffee increased by 278% from 1724 tonnes in 2018 to 6521 tonnes in 2023, and its share of the total coffee market expanded from 1.09% to 3.39%.
The coffee franchise industry is expanding its decaffeinated coffee offerings to keep pace with this shift. Starbucks introduced decaffeinated coffee in 2017 and is on track to sell 100 million cups by April 2024, while Dunkin' Donuts and Two Thumb Places are also bolstering their decaffeinated product lineups.
Nevertheless, international brands are also growing in popularity, driven by interest in new flavours and experiences, particularly among Gen MZ. Foreign franchises such as Blue Bottle and Tim Holtons are expanding rapidly, and premium coffee brands are also entering the domestic market. On the other hand, low-cost coffee franchises are growing on the back of price competitiveness.
"There is a distinct tendency to visit premium cafes on special occasions and value-for-money cafes on a daily basis," said an industry insider, expressing concern about the saturation of the cafe market.
Seogwipo Healing Forest with Wellness Selected as Green Infrastructure Exemplar
The '2024 Green Infrastructure Utilisation Best Practice Competition', organised by the Korea Forest Service, has been successfully concluded. The contest was held from 28 June to 12 July 2024, and aimed to promote the public value of green infrastructure projects over the past five years by selecting excellent cases. A total of 24 project implementers participated in the contest, and six excellent cases were selected.
In particular, the Seogwipo Healing Forest in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, was highlighted for its various programmes related to 'wellness'. The Seogwipo Healing Forest won the top prize by showcasing forest culture contents with the local community, including the Anti-Aging and Forest Tai Chi Programme, the Wellness Forest Healing Festival, and the Cancer Survivors' Forest Trail Walking Event, using barrier-free sharing paths.
Through this contest, the KFWP will promote the use of green infrastructure nationwide to provide more people with the opportunity to experience forests. "We will continue to strive to increase access to forests for the socio-economically disadvantaged, and to ensure that more people can enjoy the benefits of forests," said Nam Tae-heon, Director of KFWP.
Discovering and promoting best practices such as this once again emphasises the importance of 'wellness' and forest welfare, and is expected to contribute to improving health and promoting happiness in local communities through forests.
Songdo Moonlight Park with Wellness, New Songdo Beach Festival
Incheon Yeonsu-gu will host the 'New Songdo Beach Festival' at Songdo Moonlight Park from the 10th to the 15th of this month. This year's festival is themed 'Vacation in the City' and will welcome holidaymakers with a variety of wellness and marine experience programmes.
The festival is divided into 18 zones, including a water playground, artificial white beach, beach theatre, campnic zone, and food zone, in a 16,500㎡ area of Songdo Moonlight Park. In particular, the water playground and artificial beach have been expanded, and CrossFit and wellness programmes have been established, so you can enjoy health and leisure at the same time. Nighttime opening and new events have also been added to provide a wealth of attractions.
Highlights include CrossFit competitions and wellness programmes, as well as family-friendly water gun fights and bag races. The food area has also been significantly expanded, with more than double the number of food trucks and booths, and tarps and umbrellas have been installed in the campnic area to provide protection from the heat. Newly installed autonomous shade zones and cooling stations will provide a more comfortable environment for visitors.
The festival will kick off with a celebratory performance at the opening ceremony on the 10th, and the closing ceremony will be held on the 15th to award the Yeonsu-gu Jangbae CrossFit Competition. Each day of the festival will have a different theme, with events organised around the themes of the festival, such as dwarf, retro, moon, fire, water, and energy.
The 'New Songdo Beach Festival' will provide an opportunity to enjoy wellness and summer holidays in the city centre at the same time, and is expected to make Songdo Moonlight Park a new tourist attraction.