Wearing Gwajam and Screen Golf? Will 'Campus Golf Courses' Become Popular?

Financial Struggles in University Areas Ease... Must Compete with Off-Campus Commercial Districts
Concerns Over 'Entertainment Facility' Atmosphere Disrupting Campus Environment

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As the government plans to install convenience facilities such as screen golf courses and large cafes on idle campus land as one of the measures to solve university financial difficulties, various opinions are emerging. Some argue that it could spoil the academic atmosphere, while others analyze that prices need to be affordable to compete with commercial districts outside the school.

According to the government on the 16th, the Ministry of Education recently began consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding this matter. Facilities that can be installed on university campuses include stores selling food, miscellaneous goods, clothing, and books under 1000㎡, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, beauty salons, clinics under 300㎡, and cinemas under 500㎡, according to the related regulations of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The Ministry of Education plans to revise these area restrictions to allow a wider variety of convenience facilities to open on campuses.

Regarding the attraction of golf practice ranges, a Ministry of Education official emphasized through a media outlet that this is a request from some universities, and that if indoor golf courses are installed, they can be used not only by students but also by school staff and local residents.

The so-called MZ generation's interest in golf is already well known. There is even a "National University Golf Federation" centered around major universities in Seoul such as Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, and Chung-Ang University. Students active in golf clubs actively enjoy golf by holding competitions by school and participating in them.

Screen golf course. Photo by Yonhap News

The interest of young people in golf can also be confirmed by statistics. According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute in December last year, the domestic golf population was 5.15 million. Among them, the MZ generation, represented by those in their 20s and 30s, was estimated to be about 1.15 million. However, even though the MZ generation enjoys golf a lot, there are many screen golf courses in existing commercial districts outside schools, so there is skepticism about how many people would actually visit.

Regarding this, Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University (Department of Consumer Studies) said, "As the age of people enjoying golf is getting younger, if there is a golf course on campus, students are likely to show a lot of interest," adding, "If the golf course usage fee is operated relatively cheaply, many students will likely visit." She further predicted, "The golf equipment industry and related markets could be revitalized, and as a result, the number of people enjoying golf could increase."

However, the scale of financial income from convenience facilities is relatively small. According to the '2022 Private University Financial Statistics Yearbook' released by the Korea Private School Promotion Foundation at the end of last year, the educational auxiliary income collected through rental businesses by 192 four-year private universities nationwide was 857.934 billion KRW, accounting for only 4.6% of total financial income. This is a low proportion compared to tuition income, which accounts for 53.3% of total financial income (9.90706 trillion KRW). This is the background for the view that it may not be very helpful in practically solving university financial difficulties.

There are also some negative opinions. There are concerns that installing screen golf courses and the like could harm the study atmosphere. Cultural critic Jung Deok-hyun pointed out, "The criticism arising from allowing golf courses is that universities could become a kind of 'entertainment facility,'" adding, "The school campus could be popularly recognized as a place for entertainment, which is negative in this regard." He added, "However, if screen golf courses are installed on campus, the number of students enjoying golf is likely to increase."

Regarding this, the Ministry of Education stated, "If facilities are to be used for purposes other than education, they must not interfere with the university's educational and research activities, and procedures for collecting opinions from members will be followed," adding, "We plan to coordinate the scope of facilities allowed to be installed in the future considering public interest purposes."

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