Yoon Opens 'Yongsan Children's Garden' 411 Days After Blueprint Announcement

President Yoon and First Lady Attend Garden Opening Event
"We Will Work Harder for Children, the Future Dream Seeds"
Over 200 Children and Families Attend the Event
Opposition Party Expresses Negative View on Opening Due to Soil Pollution Issues

The Yongsan Children's Garden, located on a portion of the former U.S. military base in Yongsan, was opened to the public on the 4th, 411 days after President Yoon Suk-yeol announced his blueprint and one day before Children's Day. President Yoon's vision is to transform the once forbidden land of the Yongsan base, which had been off-limits for 120 years, into an open grassy park with exotic buildings where children, the future leaders, can freely play.

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee attended the opening ceremony held at the main entrance of the Yongsan Children's Garden near Exit 1 of Sinyongsan Station. President Yoon said, "It reminds me of the feelings I had when I moved the presidential office here," and added, "I will work even harder for the children, the future protagonists."

After the congratulatory speech, the presidential couple gave balloons to the children and took commemorative photos together. They also strolled through the garden, enjoying prepared performances such as face painting and magic shows. Approximately 200 people attended the event, including invited children and families from across the country, the general public, ministers from related government departments, and members of the National Assembly.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Yongsan Children's Garden was conceptualized when President Yoon explained the relocation plan of the presidential office to Yongsan just 10 days after his election on March 20 of last year, and it was opened to the public 411 days later. The idea of turning the Yongsan base into a park dates back to 1986 when the U.S. military was stationed there, and in 1990, then-President Roh Tae-woo instructed then-Seoul Mayor Go Geon to pursue the plan. Successive governments attempted this, and in 2003, an agreement was reached to relocate the U.S. military base to Pyeongtaek. Following President Roh Moo-hyun's push in 2006, the Special Act on the Creation of Yongsan Park was passed by the National Assembly in June 2007. However, due to security and environmental concerns, the project was delayed until 2019 when the return process began under the Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), marking the start of full-scale development.

The Children's Garden covers an area of 300,000 square meters. While maintaining the exterior of the exotic buildings formerly used by the U.S. military, the site has been remodeled into facilities such as the Yongsan Library, a small library for reading, an exhibition hall, an event house, the Eoullim Cafe, and an archive, making it a place where not only children but also adults can enjoy. Based on an interview with Sue Kostner, who lived on the Yongsan base for three years starting in 1967, a 'Sue House' has been recreated to represent the homes of U.S. military families at that time. Notably, stroller and wheelchair rental facilities, a medical room, nursing rooms, and diaper changing rooms are also available.

The area that once housed four baseball fields has been transformed into a 70,000-square-meter grassy yard where children can run and play. A space for performances and other events has been created, and just above the grassy yard, a viewing hill offers an unobstructed panoramic view of the Yongsan Presidential Office building and the National Museum of Korea.

At a pre-opening press event on the 2nd, President Yoon explained the reason for designing the space as an open area, saying, "There were many suggestions to plant trees, build monuments, and place statues here, but after thinking about it, I realized that there are many children in our country and not enough places for them to run and play."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To the east of the Yongsan Children's Garden, there is a sports field consisting of baseball and soccer fields exclusively for children under 12 years old, which the presidential office expects will contribute to improving children's physical fitness and fostering a sports culture. To support this, national youth baseball and soccer tournaments will be held.

There is a secondary entrance from the sports field leading to the National Museum of Korea, allowing visitors to enjoy leisure, sports, and traditional culture simultaneously. The presidential office stated, "The opening of the Yongsan Children's Garden fulfills the president's promise to come closer to the people, and we plan to continue cultivating spaces for future generations and increasing communication points with the public."

However, opposition parties and environmental and civic groups still oppose the opening, citing soil contamination issues such as arsenic and dioxins. According to the 'South Post Environmental Survey Report' by the Korea Environment Corporation last year, 108,920 square meters, or 66.1% of the total area, exceeded the soil contamination concern standards for Category 1 areas (parks, school sites, children's playgrounds, etc.) under the Soil Environment Conservation Act Enforcement Rules, sparking controversy. The levels exceeded standards by 36 times for TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons) against the 500 mg/kg limit, 9.4 times for arsenic, and 5.2 times for lead, among other items.

Kim Min-seok, the Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at a policy coordination meeting that "The area was opened under the condition of 'stay only two hours due to contamination risk' last year, and now they plan to cover such areas with 15 cm of soil and reopen them," adding, "This is extremely wrong from the perspective of public safety and national interest." On the other hand, the presidential office explained that thorough environmental monitoring has confirmed there are no safety issues with the garden.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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