Gangnam-gu Opens School Playgrounds on Weekday Evenings and Weekends, Including Sinsa Middle School

Eight Schools Including Sinsa Middle School Open School Playgrounds Weekdays at 9 PM and Weekends from 9 AM to 6 PM

Support of 370 Million KRW Provided... Assistance for Facility Repairs, Labor Costs, Utility Payments, CCTV, etc. Based on Each School's Opening Conditions

Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seongmyeong) will officially operate eight "Gangnam Open Schools" starting from the 12th, allowing residents to use school playgrounds during weekday evenings and weekends in cooperation with local schools.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's National Sports Survey (2022), the most desired sports facilities for residents within their living area are "public sports facilities (91.3%)." Among detailed sports facilities, temporary playgrounds and outdoor exercise equipment (52.4%) were reported as the most frequently used. With the lifting of social distancing and increasing demand for community sports, but a shortage of public sports facilities, there is growing demand to open nearby school playgrounds to meet these needs.

However, schools at all levels have faced difficulties in opening playgrounds due to management challenges, safety concerns, facility damage, and increased maintenance costs from staffing.

As a solution for residents, students, and schools, the district promoted the Gangnam Open Schools project and called for applications from schools. Once designated as an open school, the school playground will be open on weekday evenings and weekends. The district provides incentives for opening, including ▲repair of aging facilities ▲labor costs for dedicated personnel ▲payment of public utility fees related to opening ▲and support for educational expenses necessary for opening such as CCTV or night lighting installation, tailored to each school's conditions.

Most schools currently opening their playgrounds do so for one or two hours just before school starts and immediately after dismissal on weekdays (before sunset). Additionally, clubs and groups rent the facilities annually by paying rental fees.

Since these opening conditions do not allow residents sufficient access to playgrounds, the selection criteria for open schools focused on ▲areas lacking resident sports facility infrastructure by district and ▲weekday nighttime opening for general residents.

Accordingly, eight schools were finally selected (Sinsa Middle School, Apgujeong Middle and High Schools, Jinseon Girls’ Middle and High Schools, Daemo Elementary School, Sudogong Technical High School, and Gyeonggi High School) with a total support budget of 370 million KRW. The open schools will operate for at least two years, with elementary schools open until 8 PM on weekdays, middle and high schools until 9 PM, and all schools open on weekends from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Residents can freely take walks, jog, and engage in light exercise on the playgrounds during these hours. There are plans to expand the number of open schools in cooperation with local schools in the future.

Jo Seongmyeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “We thank the schools that actively participated in the Gangnam Open Schools for local residents,” and added, “We ask everyone to use the open schools responsibly based on mature civic awareness.”

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