Expansion of Operating Hours and Capacity at Seongdong Creative Arts Playground... Exploding Popularity?

Pilot operation from the 9th on Wednesdays and Fridays until 8 PM, weekend capacity expanded to 160 people... Full opening of the 4th floor of the Creative Arts Playground, welcoming children with various games such as traditional play and board games

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, with participants of the 'Dad Lee Jung-seop' program

Exterior view of Seongdong Ai Sarang Complex Cultural Center building (Changui Yesul Nolteo is located on the 3rd and 4th floors)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has expanded the operating hours and user capacity of Seongdong Creative Arts Playground, a popular spot for children's creative activities, providing enjoyable experiential opportunities for children.

Starting from the 9th of this month, Wednesdays and Fridays will have pilot operations until 8 PM, and the number of users on weekends will be increased to 160 per day. Additionally, the previous restrictions of operating hours until 6 PM on weekdays and a limit of 98 users per day on weekends (49 users per session, twice a day) have been significantly expanded.

Along with extended hours, the entire 4th floor of the Creative Arts Playground, which includes a multipurpose hall and a media art zone, has been fully opened, expanding the play space with diverse configurations.

The multipurpose hall is richly prepared under the theme "Exciting Play Ground, Open Up," featuring traditional Korean games such as Gulleongsoe (rolling hoop), Ddakji (folded paper game), Gonggi (knucklebones), Tuho (arrow throwing), Jegichagi (shuttlecock kicking), and Rock-Paper-Scissors, allowing families to enjoy together. The media art zone offers various board games such as Splendor, Halli Galli, Jenga, Rummikub, and Rush Hour, which help with cognitive development of infants and children as well as fostering family and friend relationships.

This expanded operation of the Creative Arts Playground, conducted under the theme "Art Play Therapy," aims to heal the hearts of children exhausted by COVID-19 and support their creative growth.

Going forward, the Creative Arts Playground plans to actively operate various cultural and artistic experience and activity programs to help children develop artistic sensitivity and social skills, and to satisfy diverse cultural needs.

The Seongdong I Love Children Complex Cultural Center, where the Creative Arts Playground is located, has a total floor area of 1,292.51㎡ and a building area of 458.55㎡, with four floors above ground. Each floor is diversely composed of facilities such as a Music Kids Studio, Co-parenting Sharing Space, Digital Art Zone, Art Play Zone, Media Art Zone, and Multipurpose Hall, making it a cultural experience center where families can enjoy, learn, and experience together.

Since its opening in July last year, creative programs combining art such as "Halloween Art Play," "Kalimba, a Small Concert in My Hand," and "Emotional Art Journey with Sand Art" have been operated. Last month, the program "Dad Lee Jung-seop," themed on the painter Lee Jung-seop, encouraged family participation and has received high acclaim and popularity, establishing itself as a hot spot and landmark in Seongdong-gu for children and families.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, "I hope that our children and parents, who have endured difficult times due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, will have happier times using the Creative Arts Playground," and added, "We will continue to promote diverse and creative programs to help realize dreams in the field of arts."