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Seoul / AFP
Dozens of people in one of the world’s most wired nations took part on Sunday in South Korea’s “space-out” competition aimed at promoting a life free from stress and information overload.
About 60 contestants spent 90 minutes sitting in a public park in Seoul without talking, sleeping, eating, or using any electronic devices during the event — under the slogan of “Relax Your Brain”.
The “space-out” competition was launched by local activists in 2014.
Sunday’s event — organised by Seoul city council — drew more than 1,500 online applicants who vied for the available places in the competition.
Blank-faced contestants sat or lay still in temperaturex of over 30 degrees Celsius. Many held parasols against the sun.
More than 80 percent of South Korea’s 50 million people have smartphones, with a growing fixation on everything digital seen as a serious problem.