Seoul Gangseo-gu Launches 'Gongwon Dolbomi' Project Targeting 145 Locations

Recruiting Individuals or Groups Interested in Park Management for Volunteer Activities Like Flower Planting, Environmental Cleanup, and Reporting Hazards Such as Damage

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) is promoting the ‘Park Caretaker’ project, where residents take care of neighborhood parks themselves.

The Park Caretaker project aims to generate positive effects of public-private cooperation by encouraging residents to participate voluntarily in local affairs, while simultaneously reducing labor costs required for park management.

To this end, the district is continuously recruiting Park Caretakers from this month until the end of the year to adopt neighborhood parks and voluntarily maintain them beautifully and cleanly.

The target parks for Park Caretakers include 22 neighborhood parks and 123 children’s parks, totaling 145 parks. Any local business, elementary, middle, or high school, groups of two or more people, or Gangseo-gu residents with willingness to participate can apply.

Park Caretakers will perform simple and basic park management tasks such as picking up trash, weeding, tending flower beds, and removing graffiti, as well as act as monitors by immediately reporting any facility damage or hazards to the district office.

The frequency of Park Caretaker activities varies from once a week to once a month, and specific schedules and activity details will be determined through consultation with the district office.

Park Caretakers will be provided with necessary supplies such as trash bags, gloves, and tongs for park management, and their volunteer hours can be recognized through linkage with the 1365 Volunteer Portal.

Groups or individuals wishing to participate as Park Caretakers should consult in advance with the Gangseo-gu Office’s Parks and Greenery Division and then visit to apply.

The district plans to comprehensively review the nature of the applying groups (or individuals), reasons for application, activity frequency, and content to select applicants with a strong willingness to participate in community activities.

Additionally, once COVID-19 response measures are eased and daycare centers resume normal operations, the district plans to launch the ‘Little Park Caretaker’ project, matching local daycare centers with nearby parks on a one-to-one basis for management.

A district official said, “We expect more effective park management when residents who know the parks well and visit them frequently become the managers,” and added, “We hope many residents will show interest and participate in the Park Caretaker project.”

Last year, the district systematically managed 15 neighborhood parks through a total of 135 Park Caretakers from schools and organizations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.