Seoul Metropolitan Government signs three-way MOU with Korea Forest Welfare Institute and Korea Tire Nanum Foundation

'Todak-todak, Forest Job Guide' program offers forest therapy and transportation support

Pilot runs this year showed successful results; regular quarterly sessions to begin next year, with job counseling links

Officials sign an MOU to operate a forest therapy program on Sept. 28. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Officials sign an MOU to operate a forest therapy program on Sept. 28. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand a forest therapy program aimed at easing the emotional strain on employed and job-seeking residents from vulnerable housing situations.

Seoul announced Sunday that it signed an MOU with the Korea Forest Welfare Institute and the Korea Tire Nanum Foundation on Sept. 28 to jointly operate the program, which is designed to provide emotional support for housing-vulnerable job seekers and workers.

Named "Todak-todak, Forest Job Guide" — a play on the Korean word for a gentle pat of comfort — the program offers tea therapy, sound walking and forest rest sessions at healing forests for housing-vulnerable people worn down by prolonged job searches or the stress of adjusting to new workplaces.

Under the agreement, Seoul handles participant outreach and counseling, the Korea Forest Welfare Institute runs the forest therapy sessions, and the Korea Tire Nanum Foundation provides transportation.

The city ran four pilot sessions between April and October this year, including a specialized course for 36 unhoused women in the second half of the year.

A survey of the women participants found that their stress scores dropped from an average of 4.72 out of 7 before the program to 2.03 on the day of participation. Levels of depression, anxiety and fatigue also fell by roughly half. Overall satisfaction stood at 96 percent.

Building on those results, Seoul plans to strengthen tailored programming for different participant groups when it moves to regular operations next year. Starting next year, the program will run once per quarter, and participants will continue to receive counseling and job information referrals through the Homeless Employment Support Center after completing the sessions.

"The strength to hold on to a hard-won job comes from recovering a weary mind," said Kim Jong-su, Seoul's welfare planning officer. "We will keep working with our partner organizations so that a day of rest in the forest brings new vitality to these people's lives."


ken@heraldcorp.com