"It Costs 100,000 Won for Two Hours"...No Place for Kids to Play if Parents Can't Afford It

Spending 100,000 Won for Two Hours at a Kids Cafe
Public Playgrounds Shunned Due to Safety Concerns
Widening Polarization in Play; National-Level Solutions Needed

On May 9, at a public playground in a residential neighborhood of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, cigarette butts were scattered under the benches, and discarded drink cans and snack wrappers were strewn about like fallen leaves. Instead of young children, it was mostly tall high school students occupying the area around the slide. About ten children were playing, but they could not approach the slide. Parents were busy warning, "Don't touch the sand, it's dirty!"

A different scene unfolded at a nearby kids' cafe. Lively music played, and the waiting number had surpassed 130. Friendly safety staff looked after the children. The play area was also covered with soft mats. Baek Narae (40), a mother of a fourth-grade elementary school student, said, "I often end up going to a kids' cafe even though it costs nearly 100,000 won for admission and meals. I feel uneasy about local playgrounds due to concerns about accidents and hygiene."

On the 9th, strollers lined up at the entrance of a kids' cafe in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jaehyun Park

The polarization in children's play environments is deepening according to parents' economic means. Although the number of public playgrounds is increasing, most are concentrated in newly built apartment complexes or are neglected due to lack of management by authorities. To ensure their children's safety, parents are choosing to pay high prices to take them to paid facilities such as kids' cafes.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as of May 15, the number of paid play facilities classified as play service businesses—including kids' cafes and indoor playgrounds—increased from 786 in 2017 to 1,874 last month, an increase of 1,088. During the same period, the number of free play facilities such as daycare centers, kindergartens, city parks, and apartment playgrounds increased by 11,214, from 61,251 to 72,465.

However, it is difficult to say that this increase in numbers has guaranteed a safe environment for children to play. During this period, the number of daycare center and kindergarten playgrounds, which have separated spaces and safety staff on-site, decreased by 2,396. While city park playgrounds led the overall growth with an increase of 2,801, these facilities are only inspected by local governments at least once every two years and generally lack regular staff or adequate safety and hygiene management, making them relatively unprotected.

The number of facilities within residential complexes increased by 10,809, but this was largely due to the rise in large new apartment complexes. Considering that new apartment complexes are increasingly restricting access to outsiders, this means children's play environments now differ according to their parents' housing and economic situation.

Kids' cafes, on the other hand, undergo regular facility inspections and provide a comfortable environment. At one kids' cafe in Gangnam District, Seoul, the weekend usage fee is 27,000 won per child for two hours, and 7,000 won per adult. If two children visit with two adults, the admission fee alone reaches 68,000 won. Adding meal costs of 9,000 won per person (a total of 36,000 won), it costs over 100,000 won to use the kids' cafe for two hours. Choi Dabyeol (30) said, "Until my child gets older, I plan to choose kids' cafes over playgrounds. Local playgrounds don't really feel safe, and since parents have to stay alert all the time, I prefer kids' cafes when I want to spend time comfortably."

The polarization in play environments based on parents' economic capacity is also reflected in the numbers. According to the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, the gap in private kids' cafe usage rates by household income is 20.2 percentage points. This means children from lower-income families are excluded from safe and well-managed paid play environments. Lee Kyungchan (47), a parent, commented, "It's too dangerous for kids to play in open fields or parking lots like they used to. Now, even playtime depends on whether parents can afford it, and that's a sad reality."

Professor Jung Ikjoong of Ewha Womans University’s Department of Social Welfare pointed out, "The disparity in family income is causing a serious gap in the level of play children receive." He added, "Since local governments' interest largely determines child-related budgets due to decentralization, child policies should be nationalized to address the problem of play environment polarization."

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