South Korean Bicycle Ninjas Do Battle Against Asthma
Note: this article is part of this week’s EcoWorldly cycling series: Cycling and its importance in countries around the world.
In South Korea, it’s easy to tell a toned, avid cyclist when you see one. You’ll know by his killer ninja looks.
Underneath the cyclist’s sleek helmet: a bandanna. Below the rim of the bandanna: steely sunglasses. Wrapping from the bandanna to cover the rest of the face: a hard face mask.
All in all, the cycling outfit looks like something straight out of a ninja movie. But what battles are there for a modern day bicycle ninja to fight? Just as in a Hollywood film, these ninja lookalikes toil to protect the young and the old from a common threat. And as it turns out, that ninja-like mask and outfit isn’t just for show. It protects bicyclists from a very real enemy.
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What enemy do bicycle ninjas fight? Air pollution from car exhaust. Air pollution levels in Korea’s cities are serious and sometimes fatal.
There is a strong and increasingly clear connection between car exhaust and life-threatening lung conditions. In South Korea, the number of deaths from lower respiratory conditions nearly doubled from 1992 to 2002. Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that 3 million people a year die from diseases related to air pollution. And this isn’t just in far-off countries. It includes Americans, Chinese, French, South Koreans, etc. In South Korea, asthma in particular is becoming more common. Currently, 3.9% of the population as a whole suffers from asthma. This number grows to around 12% for young children and the elderly.
Therefore, South Korea’s ninja cyclists are fighting a worthy battle. Forgoing the car, they ride together, emitting no pollution and encouraging others to do the same.
Where do South Korean Bicycle Ninjas Do Battle?
South Korea, while not a bicyclists haven, does offer some wonderful bike routes and options. Three of the best include:
- Rice Paddies. There’s nothing like cycling through the rice paddies in the morning. Though I wouldn’t say that I’m a full fledged bicycle ninja myself (I lack the proper ninja attire), I regularly enjoy bicycling through the rice paddies to the north of my house. Smoothly paved bike lanes with well-marked bicycle signs designate these and other rice paddies in South Korea as a great bike route.
- The Cheonggyecheon greenway. A newly restored 6 km greenway runs alongside the Cheonggyecheon stream in the heart of Seoul’s urban jungle. It’s a marvelous place for a stroll as well as a bike ride. Just relax and peddle slowly; the Cheonggyecheon stream is also a favorite walkway for pedestrians, and as Mark Seall’s article earlier this week showed, it’s important not to traumatize pedestrians with your ninja biking skills.
- Secondary and tertiary roadways. South Korea is full of farming roads, small side-roads, and other paved surfaces with few cars. Bicycling along these roads, I’ve found, is by far the best way to discover hidden temples and forgotten neighborhoods.
There are many other wonderful areas to explore by bike. Meanwhile, you’ll know that you’re taking a humble but important stance against air pollution.
Bike on, bicycle ninjas. Bike on.
For a picture of some South Korean bicycle ninjas in action, look here.
Other Articles in Ecoworldly’s Bicycling Series
- Forget Sky-high Gas Prices, Biking Beats Them All! by Sam Aola Ooko
- UK: Bike Week 2008 by Pem Charnley
- Bicycle powered water pumps and filtration systems by Nayelli Gonzalez
- Italy’s Two-Wheeled Cities Speed Up Your Life Quality by Eva Pratesi
- In Chiang Mai, Social Attitudes Crush Bicycling Prospects by Masimba Biriwasha
- Google’s Sexy Bicycle Giveaways and Africa’s Versatile Bike Trucks by Sam Aola Ooko
- South Korean Bicycle Ninjas Do Battle Against Asthma by Gavin Hudson
- Of Course Cycling in Australia is Healthy, But What To Do With the Cars? by Ross Kendall
- Cheer up! Bicycling in Italy is a Daily Adventure by Eva Pratesi
- If You Want a Blissful Sex Life, Don’t Ride a Bike! by Sam Aola Ooko
- Bicycling in Peru: An Art of Adaptation by Levi Novey
Resources:
The Current Status of Asthma in Korea [PDF] | Journal of Korean Medical Science
It is time to suggest Seoul Air Pollution litigation | Green Korea United
Image credit: R’eyes via Flickr.
Cycling through the rice paddies sounds idyllic. I’m very jealous!
I wish I was a bicycle ninja!
South Korean Bicycle Ninjas Do Battle Against Asthma | Deliggit.com…
\r\nTheir cycling outfit looks like something straight out of a ninja movie. Just as i…
[...] 7. By reducing air pollution, bicycling instead of driving also reduces rates of asthma and lung diseas… [...]
Korea now has pollution control devices on the cars since early 2001 or 2002. The motor cycles do pollute.
I have biked along the Han River Bike route and the Anyang Cheon and Tan Cheon (going to Bundang) and the path that goes to Uijeonbu. I’ve seen these Ninja’s. They are on expensive bikes dressed in fancy bike clothing chain smoking at their breaks. If I were to look at a pollution problem in Korea I would look at the primary and secondary tobacco exposure. You can’t live in Korea and not be a second hand smoker if you walk on the street in a congested area. Smoking on the train platforms right in front of the no smoking signs is accepted since no one tells the smoker to put out the cigarette. They have a cigarette in one hand and a three year old in the other. I think I even saw a news article where they lie about the reduction in the number of smokers to make the country look good.
Yellow dust from China is also a major air health concern during certain times of the year.
Edward,
It’s a very good point that the scooters and small motor cycles add to the pollution problem and that smoking certainly doesn’t help. Far more people smoke in South Korea than in, say, California. Fortunately, the number of smokers is going down among men (see this link). Unfortunately, it’s rising among women.
Being almost 63 years old I have “occasionally” seen politicians lie to serve their own ends. I see “no smoking” signs all over. They are in front of buildings on train platforms, in public parks, public bathrooms, etc. They are ignored and no one says or does anything. I did read about a crack down in Gangam but that was an isolated article. I have stood on a street corners and have seen 10$ of the men passing with lit cigarettes. I realize this is a sampling with no statistical meaning. The press all says the rates have gone down dramatically among men. Probably there is a significant decrease. The following article supports that:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2009/01/202_29816.html
The article has a statement at the end, however. Cigarette “sales” are up. Their conclusion is those who smoke are smoking more. I guess if you want to interpret the result that way you can since it falls in line with the published claims which I am doubting and no one else is refuting. I personally smell smoke in no smoking areas and reach an entirely differnt conclusion.