'Seoul Eomma Appa VIP Zone' Debuts at Gocheok Sky Dome in October... 'Seoul-style Kids Cafe' Opens 2nd and 3rd Branches

Mom and Dad Happiness Project
Gocheok Sky Dome's 'Seoul Art Bookstore' Debuts in October
'Seoul-style Kids Cafe' 2nd Branch (Jungnang) and 3rd Branch (Dongjak) Open Successively... First Municipal Branch to Open in August Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul’s ‘Seoul Mom and Dad VIP Zone’ will make its debut at Gocheok Sky Dome in October. In November, it will also be established at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

According to Seoul City on the 25th, the ‘Seoul Mom and Dad VIP Zone’ making its first appearance in October will be set up at ‘Seoul Art Chaekbogo’ in Gocheok Sky Dome. Seoul Art Chaekbogo (2656㎡) is a complex cultural space centered around ‘art books’ where all generations can engage in artistic sensory activities and experiences. It operates as a hybrid space combining a library, bookstore, activity and experience areas, and rest spaces.

The Seoul Mom and Dad VIP Zone will be located next to the library space and will include a baby rest area (nursing room) and childcare convenience facilities. The second ‘Seoul Mom and Dad VIP Zone,’ to be established in November, will be created within the Lava Kids Zone at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The Lava Kids Zone is a space where caregivers with children can comfortably watch performances while their children are looked after during the show. The existing facility will be remodeled and reopened in November.

Seoul City expects that the ‘Seoul Mom and Dad VIP Zone’ will resolve the issue for caregivers who have given up cultural activities because there was no place outside to look after their children or no place to temporarily leave them. The Seoul Mom and Dad VIP Zones are also planned to be established in Han River parks, Anyangcheon Stream, traditional markets, and other locations, with a goal of creating 66 sites by 2026.

Additionally, Seoul City will establish ‘family restrooms’ that can be used by families with infants and toddlers within this year at Buk Seoul Dream Forest, Yongsan Family Park, and Han River parks including Yeouido, Yanghwa, Ttukseom, Jamwon, Jamsil, Nanji, Gwangnaru, Ichon, and Mangwon. Family restrooms will be prioritized in spaces heavily used by families and managed by Seoul City, with a plan to create 169 locations by 2026.

‘Seoul-style Kids Cafes’ equipped with play and care functions will also open their 2nd and 3rd branches in Jungnang and Dongjak by the end of August and October, respectively. The first municipal branch is planned to be established by August next year. Jungnang’s (2nd branch) ‘Lululangrang Playground’ is a large-scale facility of 641㎡ and will enter a two-month pilot operation starting from the 29th. It features facilities such as trampolines and slides where children can freely run and play. The Dongjak (3rd branch) ‘Dongjak-gu Indoor Playground,’ opening in October, is 192㎡ in size and is characterized by media play equipment such as 3D sketches and story walls.

The first municipal Seoul-style Kids Cafe, to be established within Space Sallim in Daebang-dong, will occupy 387.15㎡ on the second basement floor and will be designed as a play space where children can lead their own play. It aims to open in August next year. Seoul plans to create 400 Seoul-style Kids Cafes by 2026, averaging one per district.

The ‘Seoul Kids (Kids) OK Zone,’ welcoming children’s visits, can also be encountered as early as October. It will be easily recognizable from the entrance by displaying designated marks and will be equipped with child-only chairs to ensure convenience during actual use. Seoul City has signed business agreements with related associations such as the Korea Foodservice Industry Association and plans to designate 700 locations by 2026.

For families raising infants under 24 months who must go out for essential activities such as child vaccinations but find public transportation difficult to use, Seoul operates the ‘Seoul Mom and Dad Taxi.’ It is a family-exclusive large taxi equipped with a car seat and capable of carrying strollers, providing support by granting taxi usage points worth 100,000 KRW annually. After a pilot operation in 10 autonomous districts next year, it will be expanded to all districts.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul City Women and Family Policy Office, said, “Through the Mom and Dad Happiness Project, Seoul City plans to continuously create child-friendly spaces throughout the city?from transportation to restrooms, rest areas, and dining spaces?so that outings with children can be a joyful experience rather than an inconvenience. We will actively inform citizens about the spaces being established starting this second half of the year so that they can directly use and enjoy them.”

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