[Seoul District News] Songpa-gu, with 300,000 cumulative users, 'The World's Largest School Songpa Ssaem' grows bigger with future education... Yeongdeungpo-gu operates 'Women's Communication Culture Space HEY YDP'... Nowon-gu remodels old bicycle rental at Junggye-ro 169 Nowon Culture & Arts Center into local cultural hub 'Jeongdam'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) opened the 13th center (Wirye) and the 14th center (ECO) of the ‘Future Education Center,’ the core infrastructure of its own education support system ‘Songpa SSEM (Songpa Smart Education Model),’ a key project of the 7th local government, on March 29 and 30 respectively.
The Future Education Center is a state-of-the-art multi-education facility that educates advanced technologies of the 4th industrial revolution era such as AI, 3D printing, coding, and drones, helping youth explore career paths. Fourteen centers are evenly distributed across 27 administrative neighborhoods, enabling anyone in Songpa to receive desired future education at their local living base. The first center opened in October 2019, and over three years until February 2022, a total of 3,659 education sessions were conducted for 44,100 participants across 12 Future Education Centers.
Mayor Park Seong-su explained the background, saying, “With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic rapidly changing the educational environment, causing basic academic skills decline and educational gaps, we accelerated the establishment of the centers to open more learning opportunities for the future generation.”
The ‘Future Education Center Wirye’ 13th center, opened on March 29, is equipped with advanced facilities including the latest educational equipment worth about 100 million won donated by Samsung SDS. It offers the latest trend education such as robot coding, 3D printing, and graphics (metaverse, webtoons, etc.) in three classrooms: Creative Zone, Graphic Zone, and Media Zone.
In his congratulatory speech, Mayor Park said, “The Wirye center started from a public-private consensus that ‘education is the future.’ Together with the Songpa Wirye Library located in the same building, we will continue to strive to make it an essential educational hub for local youth and residents.”
Especially at the event, a special story of a resident who started a new life was revealed to applause: the whole family attended the popular ‘Drone School’ class at the Future Education Center, with the father becoming an instructor at Korea Aerospace University Flight Training Center and the mother becoming the head of the Songpa branch of the Korea Drone Soccer Association.
The ‘Future Education Center ECO’ 14th center, opened on March 30, is a specialized ecological environment education center located within the ‘Bangyi Ecological Learning Center.’ The learning center was remodeled to create a space where the natural environment of Bangyi Ecological Wetland can be newly experienced through advanced technology.
At the ECO center, creative and beneficial experiential education is provided, including ▲‘Songpa Dullegil Hall’ where visitors can run along the Songpa Dullegil trail using interactive media technology ▲‘Bird Hall’ where visitors can fly over Bangyi Ecological Wetland as migratory birds through VR technology ▲‘AR Insect Hall’ where visitors find insects in artificial groves using tablet PCs and smartphones.
In his congratulatory speech, Mayor Park said, “In line with the global trend of increased interest in environmental issues, we fused the uniqueness of Bangyi Ecological Wetland with Songpa SSEM’s future education technology to complete a new experiential education space. Through the ‘Future Education Center ECO,’ we will nurture creative talents who lead future changes and trends.”
Detailed program information and course registration can be checked one-stop on the Songpa SSEM education portal.
Songpa SSEM operates with the vision of ‘the largest school in the world, the largest campus in Seoul,’ including the Future Education Centers, the ‘Person Library’ where residents can meet various celebrities and experts of Songpa-gu online and offline, the ‘Instrument Library’ where anyone can experience and enjoy musical instruments, and the ‘Education Portal’ that integrates and connects 55 educational facilities and systems in the region. It provides diverse and innovative educational programs so that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can have educational opportunities if they have the will to learn, achieving a cumulative user count of 300,000 over three years until last year.
Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) has a communication and resting space exclusively for women. ‘Women’s Communication and Culture Space HEY YDP!,’ established in Dangsan-dong in 2020, is that place.
‘Women’s Communication and Culture Space HEY YDP!’ is a women-friendly healing space created so that women tired from daily life such as childcare, housework, and dual-income work can comfortably visit, rest, enjoy cultural activities, and recharge their life energy.
Any woman residing in Yeongdeungpo-gu can freely visit, and all spaces are open free of charge, allowing use without financial burden.
The center is located on the 2nd floor of the Green Care Center building at 9 Dangsan-ro 29-gil and is designed as a spacious and softly lit comfortable space of about 100 pyeong to facilitate various activities. It includes ▲a sky lounge where visitors can chat and communicate in an open space ▲a lecture room equipped with a signage screen for small meetings or study groups ▲Lifestyle Books for quiet reading ▲a kids lounge for accompanying children ▲convenience spaces such as a nursing room and powder room ▲and a private room for quiet conversations.
Various cultural lectures are held monthly to encourage women’s leisure activities and social participation. The schedule and lecture topics are posted on the district website at the beginning of each month.
Operating hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., divided into three sessions: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., each lasting two hours.
After each session, 30 minutes are allocated for disinfection and ventilation for COVID-19 prevention. Usage of the space and operation of cultural lectures may change depending on the COVID-19 situation.
Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “‘HEY YDP!’ is operated as an open space where women can open their hearts, communicate, and find rest. I hope it becomes a precious space where women tired from daily life can comfortably stop by and heal.” He added, “We will continue to do our best to create a happy city for women and an open Yeongdeungpo where everyone is respected.”
Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced the opening of ‘Jeongdam,’ a community-based cultural space where residents can interact through culture and arts in daily life.
Jeongdam Cultural Space is located inside the Art Yard next to Nowon Culture and Arts Center at 169 Junggye-ro. This space was formerly used as a bicycle rental station and has been remodeled into a community space for local young artists and residents to meet the demand for cultural activities within their living area.
The interior consists of performance and exhibition spaces, community areas, and a caf?, supporting various activities of local youth, emerging artists, and community art groups.
Detailed programs include ▲‘Visual Arts Support Project’ to promote and activate visual arts activities ▲‘Youth Art Project’ providing creative and practice spaces for local youth ▲‘Curated Exhibitions’ centered on local artists ▲‘Small-scale Performances’ to provide opportunities to enjoy culture and arts in daily life ▲and ‘Community Projects’ such as facility rentals.
The district expects synergy effects as Jeongdam opens centered on the professional cultural and arts performance facility Nowon Culture and Arts Center, and with the upcoming construction of the Junggye Cultural Health Center, it will become a complex cultural and arts hub.
Meanwhile, the district is steadily expanding base-type cultural spaces throughout the region. These include ‘Sanggye Art Yard’ behind Sunbogeum Church at 41-7 Sanggye-dong 10-gil, ‘Surak Hall Cultural Performance Hall’ on the 5th floor of Sanggye 3·4-dong Community Center, and ‘Living Culture Support Center’ in Baeksamaeul, Junggye-dong, serving as infrastructure for living cultural activities by region.
Additionally, in May last year, the ‘Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail Gallery’ in Hwarangdae Railroad Park, Gongneung-dong, and in January this year, the ‘Suraksan Station Themed Station’ on Subway Line 7 opened, gaining attention as small but sophisticated cultural content spaces that elevate the local prestige.
Especially, the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail Gallery quickly became a local landmark by successfully hosting major exhibitions such as ‘Masks of Asia,’ ‘Nam June Paik Print Exhibition,’ and ‘Taekwon V and Our Cartoon Story’ shortly after its opening.
Jeongdam Cultural Space held its opening ceremony on the 31st at 5 p.m. with about 100 attendees including members of the National Assembly, local city and district councilors, and residents. The event proceeded with a progress report, greetings, on-site tour, and plaque unveiling.
Nowon-gu Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Enjoying and exchanging culture and arts in the closest place in daily life is the foundation of a cultural city. We will continue to spare no support so that residents can become the main agents of high-quality local culture.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) held an opening ceremony for the ‘Jungnangcheon Park Golf Course’ on the afternoon of the 30th.
The ‘Jungnangcheon Park Golf Course’ was created on the left bank of Jungnangcheon from Gunja Bridge to U-turn Bridge, in the area of 455-9 Junggok-dong. The 7,700㎡ park golf course consists of a 625m course with 9 holes, a practice range, clubhouse, rest area, and other auxiliary facilities.
About 100 people including Mayor Kim Seon-gap, key guests, sports facility officials, and representatives of residents attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony began with a progress report on the park golf course construction, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, park golf tee-off, and a tour of the golf course and practice range facilities.
Mayor Kim and other key guests participated in the park golf tee-off and chatted with residents watching the tee-off.
Mayor Kim said, “Park golf is a sport that anyone can easily participate in and enjoy without overexertion,” and added, “I ask for your active use of the park golf course.”
The ‘Jungnangcheon Park Golf Course’ was selected through a ‘Jungnangcheon Resident-Friendly Project Survey’ in February 2021 by receiving the most votes. Construction began on June 30 and was completed on October 15. Gwangjin-gu then carried out facility improvements such as drainage enhancement, sand covering, and fence installation, and plans to start full operation following a pilot operation beginning in April.
Gwangjin-gu opened this park golf course fully funded by the district to promote residents’ health and the development of community sports.
Mayor Kim Seon-gap said, “I hope the park golf course becomes a space for communication and health promotion for residents,” and added, “We will continue to consider and gather wisdom to create conditions for various community sports in Gwangjin-gu.”
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