'Completion of Yongsan Era' Yongsan Children's Garden Opens on 4th... Yoon: "Will Let Children Play Throughout My Term" (Comprehensive)

Presidential Office Holds Pre-Opening Media Preview Event
President Yoon: "Designed as a Children's Garden Due to Lack of Play Areas"
Features Highlighting U.S. Military Base Characteristics
Includes Children's Facilities Like Yongsan Library, Exhibition Space, and Sports Field

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 2nd that a portion of the Yongsan Park return site will be opened under the name "Yongsan Children's Garden" on the 4th, stating, "Throughout my term, I will continue to let children play here and make changes as needed to create a space for children."

On the same day, President Yoon attended a luncheon meeting following a media preview event for Yongsan Children's Garden and said, "Except for our working space, we plan to make changes," referring to the site. Out of the total 900,000㎡ area of Yongsan Park, 300,000㎡ has been developed into Yongsan Children's Garden, which will be opened to the public on the 4th.

President Yoon explained the reason for naming it Yongsan Children's Garden and designing it as an open space, saying, "There is a lot of space here. I heard many ideas such as planting trees, creating monuments, and placing statues. After leaving it as is and thinking about it while working, I realized that there are many young children in our country but very few places for them to play."

He continued, "So, we named this place Children's Garden, where children and their parents or guardians can come and freely run around on the lawn. We plan to create a fountain garden on the east side of Yongsan Children's Garden. When the weather gets hot, children can play there like at the fountain plaza in front of City Hall. We also refurbished the soccer and baseball fields formerly used by the U.S. military to host youth soccer tournaments and baseball games. We intend to allocate as much space as possible to children," he added.

The Yongsan Children's Garden site holds symbolic significance as it was occupied by the Japanese military after the 1904 Japan-Korea Protocol, then used as a U.S. military base after liberation, and is now being opened to the public for the first time in 120 years. With the opening of the Blue House following the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and now the Yongsan Children's Garden, it is seen as the completion of the Yongsan era.

Yongsan Children's Garden houses the Yongsan Bookshelf. In addition to the bookshelf exclusively for children (photo), there is also a separate space where adults can read books.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Yongsan Children's Garden features beige walls and red-roofed single-story detached houses characteristic of the former U.S. military base, along with wide lawns and a plane tree-lined street, creating an open and expansive view.

Entering through the main entrance near Sinyongsan Station (the former U.S. military base Gate 14), visitors encounter the General's Quarters converted into a promotional center, Yongsan Library remodeled from a single-story house where adults and children can enjoy books separately, a lawn yard, a viewing hill, and a sports field located on the east side.

Based on an interview with Sue Kosner, who lived on the Yongsan base for three years starting in 1967, the 'Sue House' recreates the home of a U.S. military family at that time. The 'Base Story' space introduces stories such as the Eighth U.S. Army Club, which had a significant influence on Korean popular culture, providing additional attractions.

The approximately 70,000㎡ lawn yard covers the area where four baseball fields used by U.S. soldiers once stood, now filled with grass for children to play and for performances to be held.

Cafe Eoullim at Yongsan Children's Garden
Photo by Yonhap News

Looking north from the lawn yard, visitors can see the Yongsan Presidential Office building. On one side, there is a caf? called 'Eoullim' with a view of the lawn yard. This caf? uses carbon-reduced coffee beans and sells snacks made by people with developmental disabilities, while also collaborating on projects with youth caf?s in the Yongsan area.

During weekdays, only Caf? Eoullim operates, but on weekends, food trucks and temporary caf?s are set up to provide food for children and families.

Especially, climbing the wildflower walking trail, a path around the lawn yard, offers a closer view of the Presidential Office building to the north and the National Museum of Korea to the south, enhancing the spaciousness of the area.

On the east side of Yongsan Children's Garden, there is a sports field consisting of baseball and soccer fields exclusively for children under 12, contributing to the improvement of children's physical fitness and the promotion of sports culture. Along with the garden's opening, a nationwide youth baseball and soccer tournament invited by the Presidential Office will be held here. A secondary entrance connecting the sports field to the National Museum of Korea is also a notable feature.

The Presidential Office viewed from the Yongsan Children's Garden Observation Hill
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Yongsan Cultural Center explained that after families enjoy Yongsan Children's Garden, they can visit the National Museum of Korea to experience Korean cultural heritage and traditions.

Permanent programs at Yongsan Children's Garden include busking and walking tours. Busking sessions are held on Wednesdays from 12:15 PM to 12:45 PM for 30 minutes, and on weekends from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM. The operating periods are May to June and September to November.

The walking tour program, which explores the history, culture, and current state of Yongsan Park with professional guides, operates once on weekdays (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and twice on weekends from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM and 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. The walking tour operates during the same periods as busking, May to June and September to November.

The Yongsan Cultural Center recommends visitors use the subway as only pre-approved vehicles are allowed entry, and the main entrance parking lot is limited. If vehicle use is necessary, it is better to park at the National Museum of Korea and enter through the secondary entrance.

The Presidential Office stated that considering the site's characteristics, environmental monitoring was conducted thoroughly, confirming no issues with garden use. Monitoring was carried out using air quality measurement methods at five indoor and six outdoor locations in September and November last year and March this year, with comparative measurements at four surrounding areas to ensure safety.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Office explained that additional safety measures were implemented across the temporarily opened area, including covering the soil with at least 15 cm of earth before planting grass or installing vegetation mats, and removing fuel storage tanks to minimize contact with existing soil.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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