Actor is a stand-up guy with a walking passion

Ryu In-chon, who plans to walk across the country.

Ryu In-chon, a 56-year-old actor and the president of Youtheater, is going to walk across the country. From Ttangkkeut village in South Jeolla to Seoul, Ryu plans to walk a distance of 600 kilometers (372 miles) in 19 straight days.
“I am now in my mid-50s. There is no guarantee that this kind of chance will come again. I want to feel the country in my heart and my feet,” he said.
Ryu departs this Friday and is expected to arrive in Seoul on Aug. 14.
“I intentionally chose the summer. Whatever is easy is quickly forgotten. I wanted to do it right,” he said.
Ryu is known to be athletic. He has completed three marathons. He fell in love with walking last year when working as a guest professor at Nippon University.
“The subway system in Japan is excellent. People can live without knowing what’s happening on the ground. But I wanted to learn Japanese culture from the street, not from books, so I walked whenever I had a chance,” he said.
Even when he had things to do in the center of Tokyo, he did not use public transportation. He walked for an average of four hours everyday. He is not exaggerating when he says he is a “walkholic.” From his experience in Japan, he recently published a book, “Walk Without Constraint.”
“Even after I came to Seoul, I kept walking. Yesterday, I walked from the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul to Seongsu-dong, Seongdong district, Ryu said. “It took two and a half hours.”
So does he walk so much? “Once I started walking, my lifestyle changed completely. If I walk a 20-minute driving distance, it taked an hour. I have to be fit to do that,” he said.
“Basically, walking gives me a moment to think alone. It boosts my confidence. Even if all I have is my body, standing up straight on my own feet gives me a feeling that I have everything,” he said.

Choi Min-woo JoongAng Ilbo [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]