Downtown Seoul roads will be transformed into exercise and leisure spaces for citizens on weekend mornings.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on March 3 that it will launch a pilot program called "Shwium-Shwium Morning," opening vehicle-centric downtown roads to citizens.
Unlike record-focused marathon events, "Shwium-Shwium Morning" is a recreational sports program where anyone can participate freely—walking, running, cycling, or strolling with strollers and pets.
The pilot will run three times: Saturday, March 14, and Sundays, March 22 and 29, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. For the first event on March 14, limited pre-registration will be available on the Seoul Sports Council website, with on-site registration also offered. The venue spans a 5-kilometer round-trip course from Yeouido Park to Mapo Bridge.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon was inspired after witnessing "Car Free Morning," a representative citizen-participation road-opening event, during his trip to Malaysia late last year. He has since explored introducing a similar program. At the time, Mayor Oh ordered a review, stating, "We need policies that return vehicle-centric downtown areas to spaces for rest and exercise."
To minimize inconvenience, the city will implement partial road closures rather than full shutdowns. Traffic will continue on opposite lanes during the event to reduce congestion.
At Yeouido Park's Culture Plaza—the start and finish point—a mobile "Seoul Fitness Center" will offer free fitness assessments. Participants who complete the assessment will receive 1,000 "Wrist Doctor Points." Additional amenities include stretching zones and photo zones.
The city is running the event as a "zero waste" initiative, encouraging participants to bring personal water bottles and avoid plastics and disposables. Water stations will be available at the starting point and turnaround point.
The city has completed consultations with transportation, sports, and safety experts, along with preliminary traffic analysis. Officials plan to continuously monitor conditions during the pilot period to minimize public inconvenience and maximize health benefits.
"Shwium-Shwium Morning is a new attempt to transform downtown roads into exercise spaces for citizens while minimizing inconvenience," said Kim Myung-joo, Director of the Tourism and Sports Bureau. "We will closely observe citizen responses and traffic impacts to establish this as a Seoul-style recreational sports model."
