Construction of the 'Je2 Bangjeonghwan Education Support Center' in Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu

Exterior view of Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center

Design Competition for the ‘2nd Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center’ Open Until April 21

Winner to Be Selected After Subsequent Review, Detailed Design Service Scheduled for Second Half of the Year

Construction to Start in 2023, Completion Targeted for 2025... Committed to Creating a Balanced Educational Environment

Since its opening in 2021, the Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center in Jungnang-gu has consistently received strong support from residents. Now, the district is moving forward with the construction of a second center.

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) announced that it will hold a design competition until April 21 for the construction of the ‘2nd Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center,’ which will serve as a hub for local education and culture.

The Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center, a core part of Jungnang-gu’s education policy focused on nurturing future talents through the development of public education, offers diverse educational programs for all age groups, from young children to seniors. Resident satisfaction with these programs reached 91% as of 2022.

The district explained that the second center will be built in the Myeonmok-dong area to meet the high demand from residents for such educational programs.

In particular, to differentiate from the existing Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center, the 2nd Center plans to complement areas that are difficult to approach through public education by offering specialized programs. The focus will be on basic science fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology, with distinctive laboratories and programs, as well as various creativity enhancement programs.

To build the 2nd Center, the district conducted a review by the Seoul Public Architecture Deliberation Committee in January. Following this, the design competition will run until April 21, with the winning design selected at the end of April, and detailed design services scheduled to begin in the second half of the year.

The 2nd Center is planned to start construction in 2023 and be completed by 2025.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, stated, “We are promoting the construction of the 2nd Bang Jeong-hwan Education Support Center to meet the overwhelming demand for educational participation and to create a balanced educational environment within the district. We will continue to prioritize ‘education’ in district administration and do our best to establish Jungnang as an educational city that nurtures dreams and hopes by providing the best public education environment.”

Jongno-gu Gifts Book Packages to Infants and Toddlers

Gifts Include Stage-Appropriate Picture Books and Guidebooks to Help Build Joyful Experiences with Books and Libraries from an Early Age

From May, Book-Linked Play Programs and Reading Culture Programs for Caregivers Planned for the Second Half of the Year

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Mun-heon) is promoting the ‘2023 Jongno Bookstart’ project to support bonding between babies and parents through picture books.

‘Bookstart’ is a community cultural movement program that began with the aim of ‘starting life with books.’ It provides packages containing two stage-appropriate picture books for infants and toddlers, a guidebook, and a Bookstart bag to help children build joyful experiences with books and libraries from an early age.

The target group is infants and toddlers residing in Jongno-gu aged 19?35 months (Stage 2) and 36 months to pre-school age (Stage 3). Caregivers can apply during the first week of March, June, September, and November by accessing the Jongno-gu Public Library website. Recipients can choose from 12 Jongno-gu small libraries and 13 Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Children’s Libraries to collect their packages. When visiting the library, identification and a resident registration certificate must be presented for verification.

The Jongno Bookstart books selected this year through the local Bookstart council are: ▲Stage 2: What’s in the Bag? (Jeong Hye-young, Kidari), Too Long, Too Long (Kang Jeong-yeon, text; Lilia, illustrations, Gilbut Children) ▲Stage 3: Mole’s Summer (Kim Sang-geun, Sagyejul), The Child with Thick Hair (Lee Deok-hwa, Wisdom House).

Starting in May, the district will operate a ‘Bookstart Book-Linked Play Program’ at libraries, and from June, a ‘Visiting Bookstart Day’ for daycare centers will be implemented, offering group applications and book play classes with storytellers.

Additionally, reading culture programs for caregivers such as ‘Our Family Reading Picture Books’ and ‘Dads Who Read Books’ are planned for the second half of this year.

Meanwhile, Jongno-gu is expanding its interlibrary loan service to support residents’ reading activities.

Previously, applications were accepted twice a week at Cheongun Literature Library and Children & Youth National Library, but from this month, applications will be accepted three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) at a total of three libraries including Areumkkum Library. For more details, visit the Jongno-gu Public Library website or contact the Education Department.

Mayor Jeong Mun-heon explained, “The Bookstart project is the starting point of lifelong education and a social childcare support activity that helps form the relationship between babies and parents. We aim to provide the first-ever library experience in life and naturally cultivate reading habits from an early age.”

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