La Passeggiata Inspires Community Reconnection Practices

In an opinion column, Han Sang-hee contrasts Italy’s nightly la passeggiata—an open-air, intergenerational ritual of spontaneous social exchange—with contemporary South Korea’s efficiency- and technology-driven routines. She argues that Korea’s reliance on screens and scheduled interactions has eroded unstructured, face-to-face conversation, increasing hidden loneliness. She urges cultivating intentional public habits and permission for spontaneous encounters to rebuild conversational skills and community safety nets.