Creation of 'Dolsan Sports Park' on 43,968㎡ Site in Segok-dong, Gangnam-gu

[Seoul District News] Gangnam-gu to build 1 soccer field, 4 tennis courts, multipurpose field, grass plaza, parking lot, and management building in Segok-dong; walking trail around park to start in March and complete in October... Nowon-gu to open intermediate bicycle class... Gangseo-gu to conduct spring wildfire prevention activities until May 15... Jongno-gu to install TV in Tapgol Park to ease seniors' boredom... Yangcheon-gu to map and inspect children's playgrounds in 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun) will begin construction of Dolsan Sports Park on a 43,968㎡ site in Segok-dong starting this March.

This site was designated as a park area in 1971. In 2003, SK Shipping, the owner, attempted to develop a community sports park and comprehensive sports facilities, but the project was abandoned due to lack of feasibility, leaving the area neglected for over 50 years.

Gangnam-gu invested approximately 27 billion KRW to complete land compensation in January 2020, aiming to transform the previously restricted private land into a leisure space for residents by creating a sports park equipped with public sports facilities based on community feedback.

Last year, consultations and approval procedures were completed with related organizations including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Seoul Metropolitan Government. The project, with a budget of about 8 billion KRW, is scheduled for completion in October this year.

Dolsan Sports Park will feature one soccer field, four tennis courts, a multipurpose field, a grass plaza, parking lots, and a management building. Walking trails will be developed around the park.

Jeong Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “We plan to develop Dolsan Sports Park as a complex recreational and sports facility linked with nearby Yulhyeon Park and the Suseo Station area restoration park (tentative name) scheduled for 2025. We will continue to expand urban rest spaces where people can feel like they are in a forest, such as parks, healing centers, and fine dust-free zones, to make Gangnam a ‘top city to live in.’”

Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced the establishment of an intermediate-level bicycle class to prevent safety accidents caused by bicycles and to promote bicycle culture, expanding its operation.

Since 2013, the district has been offering free bicycle classes, which have been well received by residents with a total of 4,764 participants to date. At the end of last year, reflecting participants’ requests, an intermediate class was newly created and piloted, and it will officially start in March.

The class capacity is 30 people for weekday (Monday, Tuesday) and weekend beginner classes each, and 20 people for the weekend intermediate class. Classes are held at the bicycle training ground under Nokcheon Bridge and along the bicycle path by Jungnangcheon Stream. Over eight sessions, participants receive theoretical and practical training from certified professional instructors.

The beginner class covers traffic laws, safe riding techniques, brake usage, pedaling, balance, riding, and cornering basics. The final 8th session concludes with a 10 km round-trip graduation ride together.

The intermediate class teaches skills such as bike fitting and gear shifting, with practical riding sessions in the 6th and 7th classes to learn overtaking and hand signals. The last session includes basic maintenance training to learn proper bicycle upkeep.

Training bicycles and basic safety gear are provided, but intermediate class participants may bring their own bicycles to class.

The bicycle classes operate year-round from March to November, excluding the hot summer month of August and the cold months from December to February. Residents wishing to enroll can register on a first-come, first-served basis from the 1st of each month via the Nowon-gu Office website’s integrated registration menu for the following month’s classes. However, to prevent COVID-19 spread, only those who have completed two doses of vaccination and whose vaccination validity period has not expired are eligible to apply.

For inquiries, contact the Bicycle Culture Team at the Nowon-gu Office Traffic Guidance Division.

Additionally, the district runs various policies such as free bicycle steam cleaning services, bicycle inspectors, and bicycle rack maintenance projects to become a bicycle-friendly city.

Notably, since 2015, Nowon-gu was the first district in Seoul to enroll all residents in bicycle insurance, providing a safe foundation for residents to use bicycles with peace of mind. All residents are automatically enrolled for free and can receive insurance benefits nationwide regardless of where an accident occurs. Up to last year, 2,383 people have been compensated approximately 1.5 billion KRW for various bicycle accidents.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “While building infrastructure is important, creating a culture and environment where residents can ride bicycles safely must come first. We hope residents learn proper bicycle riding techniques in the classes and enjoy cycling safely.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Noh Hyun-song) will begin spring wildfire prevention efforts starting this month.

The district has designated the period until May 15 as the ‘Spring Wildfire Prevention Period’ and is entering full-scale wildfire prevention mode.

This measure aims to prevent forest damage and maintain a pleasant forest environment through active fire prevention and response during the dry spring season when wildfire risk increases.

To this end, the district has established a wildfire prevention task force and will operate an emergency duty system throughout the spring wildfire prevention period. The emergency duty team consists of 31 members divided into seven groups, working on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.

Main duties include ▲wildfire suppression training and wildfire prevention campaigns ▲wildfire monitoring and firefighting equipment inspection ▲coordination with related wildfire agencies ▲establishing firefighting systems such as initial suppression and backfire monitoring ▲and rapid reporting of firefighting situations.

In case of wildfire occurrence, 37 ground firefighting personnel will be urgently deployed for initial suppression, with an additional 122 auxiliary firefighters organized for emergencies.

Major nearby mountains frequently visited by users, such as Gaehwasan and Ujangsan, will be the focus of large-scale wildfire suppression drills conducted jointly with related agencies including Gangseo Fire Station, Gangseo Police Station, and volunteer firefighting teams to enhance firefighting capabilities and cooperation.

To improve early response capabilities, 29 wildfire firefighting equipment storage boxes have been installed at major trail entrances and ridgelines. Two high-pressure hose equipment storage boxes have also been placed to enable quick connection of fire hoses in forest areas where water supply is difficult.

Additionally, the district will conduct 24-hour monitoring and recording using CCTV-type black boxes in wildfire-prone areas and run wildfire prevention publicity campaigns to preemptively block wildfire causes.

A district official said, “We will do our best to protect residents’ precious lives and property through these wildfire prevention activities. Since residents’ participation is crucial to preventing wildfires, we ask everyone to refrain from carrying flammable materials when hiking and actively cooperate with wildfire prevention.”

Gangseo-gu’s forest area totals 420 hectares and includes large and small mountains such as Gaehwasan, Bongjesan, Sumyeongsan, Yeomchangsan, Kkachisan, Ujangsan, and Gungsan.

Jongno-gu has attracted attention for its thoughtful gesture of installing a large TV inside the winter shelter at Tapgol Park on the 4th to alleviate the boredom of elderly people who wait for long hours for free meals.

Regardless of rain or snow, elderly visitors who wait 2 to 3 hours on average for meal distribution can watch TV to ease their boredom.

Considering the difficulty of operating free meal services at local senior welfare centers due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, Jongno-gu has supported private organizations running free meal services near Tapgol Park in various ways.

Examples include installing canopy tents as waiting shelters to provide shade during heatwaves and offering ice water to help prevent heat-related illnesses.

In winter, the district erected Mongolian tents to shield seniors from harsh winds and provided large outdoor heaters so they can wait for meals without shivering, which has been well received.

As a result, the previously disorderly and unsanitary crowded waiting conditions have improved, with orderly lines and compliance with quarantine measures now observed in many places.

An elderly visitor to Tapgol Park expressed gratitude, saying, “Since we cannot freely visit welfare facilities, having heating tents, large heaters, and even a TV in the park is comparable to a senior center.”

A district official emphasized, “Jongno-gu will continue to monitor COVID-19 trends and support vulnerable elderly residents so they do not feel neglected due to age or economic circumstances. We will do our best to ensure they can have at least one meal comfortably.”

Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Kim Soo-young) has established the 2022 inspection plan for children’s playground facilities and will create a safe play environment through systematic inspections.

The inspection targets a total of 503 locations with children’s playground facilities, including 358 residential complexes, 98 urban parks, and 37 daycare centers. The managing entities are required to conduct self-inspections at least once a month.

The district plans to conduct inspections linked with Seoul city’s inspection schedules once each in the first and second halves of the year to check compliance with safety management obligations and facility management status.

Main inspection items include ▲safety inspections, insurance enrollment, and completion of safety education ▲confirmation of safety inspections conducted ▲record keeping of safety inspection logs ▲and attachment of safety inspection pass marks.

In particular, in relation to the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, thorough inspections will be conducted on indoor children’s playground facilities with flooring areas of 430㎡ or more to ensure management’s compliance with safety and health obligations.

During facility management inspections, based on safety inspection checklists, focus will be placed on ▲structural deformations (bending, twisting, corrosion, rust) ▲loose screws ▲and flooring conditions.

Regular safety inspections in the first and second halves will proceed in three stages: first, a full self-inspection by the managing entity; second, a sample on-site inspection by the facility management supervision department; and third, a joint inspection by city and district public-private teams. Minor issues found will be immediately corrected on-site, while serious defects will lead to facility improvement orders, monitoring, and safety diagnosis requests to ensure necessary measures are implemented.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “With indoor activities limited due to COVID-19, nearby playgrounds are places where children can freely run and play, so thorough safety inspections are more important than ever. We will carry out meticulous and careful inspections to ensure our children can always use these facilities safely.”

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