Seoul Children's Grand Park, Queue Improvement and Expansion of Contactless Content... Customized Operation for the COVID-19 Era

Seeking Optimal Operation Solutions to Naturally Encourage 'Social Distancing' Amid Increasing Park Visitors
Downsizing Rest Facilities and Spacing, Installing Square Waiting Lines Considering Family Visitors

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Facilities Corporation is improving facilities and introducing various non-face-to-face programs to enable citizens to use Neungdong Seoul Children’s Grand Park in Gwangjin-gu more safely.

According to the Seoul Facilities Corporation on the 29th, the corporation is preparing for the post-COVID era in the with-COVID era by improving the Children’s Grand Park facilities and expanding content, including ▲ downsizing rest facilities and social distancing ▲ improving waiting lines at crowded facilities ▲ operating non-face-to-face experience and educational content ▲ operating positive facilities.

First, the corporation improved facilities mainly for groups of four to reduce the density of rest facilities within Seoul Grand Park and allow social distancing. Three large pergolas and two pyeongsang (traditional Korean floor seats) that had been installed for a long time were replaced with small pergolas and picnic tables designed for four people, and old benches in the park were also replaced with intervals of more than 6 meters to minimize crowding of visitors.

The waiting lines at facilities where visitors concentrate were also improved. Considering the practical situation where visitors with children find it difficult to queue individually and social distancing between groups is unnecessary, the corporation installed ‘square box’ waiting lines where groups of up to four people can wait together instead of the previous single-line form at a total of 19 locations including amusement parks, botanical gardens, and tropical animal houses, and unified the entrances to ensure thorough implementation of quarantine procedures such as temperature checks. Additionally, picnic lawns with heavy usage were marked with circles spaced 3 meters apart so groups can safely enjoy their rest.

Furthermore, through the development of various non-face-to-face experience and educational content and programs, ways have been prepared for citizens to enjoy the park without visiting in person. Various videos themed on the ‘Children’s Garden’ and ‘Zoo’ operated within the park are produced and posted monthly on the official YouTube channel of the Seoul Facilities Corporation. Also, by applying online, participants can receive experience kits at home and enjoy an ecological classroom program in real time using video conferencing (Zoom) throughout the year.

Volunteer programs are also being piloted in a non-face-to-face manner. Volunteers who apply through the 1365 Volunteer Portal receive activity tools individually at designated locations and carry out voluntary activities autonomously, completing the process by submitting activity reports and certification photos via SNS. Through operating such non-face-to-face content, physical and temporal barriers are removed, and the corporation expects that Children’s Grand Park will become closer to citizens’ daily lives.

Positive facilities that provide small comfort to citizens exhausted by COVID are also being operated. Positive and comforting messages such as ‘A Comma for Your Weary Heart,’ selected through citizen contests, are engraved on balloon sculptures and placed in resting spaces such as benches. These can be found at 10 locations in three places including the Four Seasons Garden and Kkumnarae Garden.

Additionally, a European-style healing photo zone was installed in the Children’s Garden within the park to soothe the regret of not being able to travel, and a rock garden and themed garden planted with 18,000 flowers and trees around Guui Gate are being created to provide a healing walking space with various sights throughout the four seasons. This project is scheduled to be completed and opened to citizens by July 3.

Director Cho Sung-il said, “In the COVID era, it is most important to create an environment where people can enjoy the park comfortably within a safe quarantine network,” adding, “We will continue to improve facilities and programs so that all citizens visiting Children’s Grand Park both online and offline can soothe their weary hearts caused by COVID.”

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