Jongno District to Open Public Indoor Playground in Buam and Pyeongchang in October

Remodeling of Former Hanok Materials Bank
Creation of a 187-Square-Meter Indoor Playground

On May 6, Jongno-gu, Seoul announced that it will remodel the temporary building of the Sinyoung-dong Hanok Demolition Material Recycling Bank into a public indoor playground.

In July of last year, Jung Moonhun, the district mayor, visited Gyeonghuigung Solbit Daycare Center (an excellent facility for indoor air quality management). Provided by Jongno District Office.

Instead of demolishing the two-story temporary building, which ceased operations at the end of last year, the district will convert it into an indoor playground with a total floor area of 187 square meters on a single floor. The district plans to begin detailed design this month, with the goal of completing construction in July and opening in October.

Within a 500-meter radius of the site, there are three childcare centers in operation, but there is no public indoor playground. Until now, the 1,211 children living in Buam-dong and Pyeongchang-dong have found it difficult to access an indoor space where they can play throughout all seasons. The district plans to utilize the existing space, which was previously used to store and circulate Hanok materials, to address residents' long-standing wishes with minimal budget.

This project will be pursued using both short-term and long-term strategies. In the long term, the district will establish a Seoul-style kids' cafe in connection with the construction of the Jongno Youth Center, which is scheduled for completion in June 2030. In the short term, the district will use the temporary building to create the playground first.

The design focuses on creating an environment unaffected by seasonal changes. The playground will be designed as a complex play space where children can enjoy activities such as climbing, ball games, and tightrope walking, even during fine dust alerts, heat waves, or severe cold.

The district will replace old windows and doors, upgrade indoor lighting and closed-circuit televisions (CCTV), and provide separate waiting rooms for guardians and restrooms for children. The district plans to finalize the detailed layout after gathering feedback from parents and residents through childcare centers and community service centers later this month.

Jongno District Mayor Jeong Munheon stated, "Instead of simply removing public facilities at the end of their life cycle, we will transform them into spaces where our children can safely play throughout the year. Through active administration that residents can feel, we will further strengthen Jongno’s identity as a child-friendly city."

Public Indoor Playground Development Plan. Provided by Jongno District Office.

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