A unique experiential booth utilizing Daejeon's public bicycle service, Tashu, is gaining significant popularity at the 2025 Daejeon 0 O'Clock Festival. The "Making Cotton Candy with Tashu Bicycles" event, held at the Jungangno Station event booth, offers participants a special experience where they pedal the bicycle to generate power and use that energy to spin a cotton candy machine and make their own cotton candy.
Planned especially for students, this experience is receiving positive feedback as it naturally conveys the eco-friendly value and joy of bicycles beyond simple play. Participants can feel a sense of accomplishment from creating something with their own effort, while also directly experiencing the significance of bicycles as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
In addition, Daejeon City has added more meaning by providing participants with a special souvenir containing an eco-friendly message. This souvenir is a Kkumdori keyring recycled from used and discarded coffee grounds (spent coffee grounds). Designed with Daejeon's representative characters, Kkumdori and Kkumsuni, riding a Tashu bicycle, the keyring has a cute design that appeals to people of all ages. This keyring not only raises awareness about environmental protection but also effectively promotes Tashu's eco-friendly brand value.
Furthermore, the production of these keyrings serves as a great example of realizing social value. The "Turtle Protected Workshop," a social enterprise that employs severely disabled workers, was responsible for their production, contributing to job creation for the disabled. This initiative goes beyond simply enjoying the festival, also incorporating care for the environment and for socially vulnerable people.
Daejeon City is also conducting promotional activities for pedestrian safety during the festival. They are distributing pocket-sized disposable bandages with messages highlighting the dangers of 'smombies' (smartphone zombies) — people who walk while looking at their phones. Created with Daejeon's mascot, the Kkum Family characters, these bandages deliver safety rules in a fun and easy-to-understand way.
Kim Jong-myung, Director-General of Daejeon City's Railroad Construction Bureau, stated, "We planned this to help bicycles be seen not just as a means of transportation but as a fun, eco-friendly activity." He added, "We hope that this 0 O'Clock Festival will spark even greater interest in Tashu among citizens." He also expressed his wish for the Kkumdori keyring to become a precious souvenir that shares the charm of Tashu with the public.
The "Making Cotton Candy with Tashu Bicycles" booth is successfully enriching the festival by offering a fun experience while also conveying diverse messages related to the environment, social value, and safety.
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