Nowon-gu 'Suraksan Barrier-Free Forest Trail' Fully Opened

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu, 1.74km gentle wooden deck path with slope under 8%, equipped with 1 rest deck, 7 shelters, and 49 deck pillars · Upon completion of early 2023 Chosan Mountain circular trail, all 4 major local mountains will have circular trails... Geumcheon-gu opens Geumnarae Water Splash Shelter... Gwangjin Children's Performance Hall officially begins operation... Yangcheon-gu launches ‘Companion Humanities’ senior-specialized program at Stream Health Library

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has completed the creation of the Suraksan Barrier-Free Forest Trail and will fully open the entire section to residents starting from the 30th.

The 'Suraksan Barrier-Free Forest Trail' is a project to create a barrier-free walking path at Nowon-gol, the entrance to the Suraksan hiking trail, so that people with mobility difficulties such as the disabled, elderly, pregnant women, and infants can also enjoy the beautiful natural environment of Suraksan together.

With a total project cost of about 7.5 billion KRW, construction began in December last year. The entire trail was designed as a gentle wooden deck path with a width of more than 1.8 meters and a slope of less than 8%, allowing strollers and wheelchair users to move comfortably without inconvenience.

The barrier-free forest trail is a total of 1.74 km long, divided into ▲Section 1: Nowon-gol to Sangwon Middle School (0.77 km) ▲Section 2: Sangwon Middle School to Sanggye Jugong 14 Complex (0.62 km) ▲Section 3: Sanggye Jugong 14 Complex to Hanok Daycare Center (0.35 km).

In particular, Section 1 was designed to connect to a children's forest experience center (covering 2,500㎡). Utilizing the slope at the trail entrance, children can enjoy activities such as rope climbing, deck slides, Tarzan playground, and net climbing.

The forest trail includes one resting deck, seven rest areas, and 49 deck benches, allowing residents to easily take breaks anywhere while walking.

Additionally, through tree planting and environmental maintenance, the trail has been reborn as a more pleasant walking path. Furthermore, a project to install pedestrian lighting along the trail for safe nighttime enjoyment is nearing completion.

Along with this, the district has been focusing on promoting residents' health and securing leisure spaces by creating circular walking trails in neighborhood parks, including the 2.1 km Bulamsan Circular Trail (2019) and the 3.39 km Yeongchuksan Circular Trail (2021).

Currently, the Choaansan Circular Trail project is underway, with plans to complete the total 1.8 km trail by 2023. Once the Choaansan Circular Trail is completed, circular trails will be established in all four major mountains in the area?Bulamsan, Suraksan, Yeongchuksan, and Choaansan?greatly benefiting residents' leisure activities.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Thanks to the high interest of residents, we achieved the great feat of fully opening the entire trail in a short time following the first phase opening in April,” adding, “We will continue to do our best so that all residents can fully enjoy the nature of Nowon.”

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) announced that it will operate the ‘Geumnarae Mulcheombeong Rest Area’ from July 1 to August 31.

The ‘Geumnarae Mulcheombeong Rest Area’ is a water playground located within the Geumcheon-gu Office complex. It was not operated for the past two years to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it has reopened following the lifting of social distancing measures.

Even during the early days of the Geumcheon-gu Office, when it was called the ‘Hanumul Fountain,’ it was popular among local residents. After a major facility upgrade in 2019 and renaming it to Geumnarae Mulcheombeong Rest Area, it has become a local attraction known by word of mouth, drawing visitors from other areas as well.

The operating hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but it is closed during some morning hours on Mondays and Fridays for regular cleaning.

A resident who used the Geumnarae Mulcheombeong Rest Area commented, “The water level is just about ankle height, making it safe for young children to play, and the water is well-maintained and clean, so it’s good to use.”

Geumcheon-gu plans to manage water quality by regularly replacing the water, cleaning the floor, and operating chlorine disinfection and filtration systems. In addition, continuous water quality monitoring will be conducted, and water will be replaced immediately if contamination occurs.

Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon said, “If you are looking for a place to cool off without going far, I recommend this place,” adding, “We will do our best to manage water quality and safety so that children can enjoy water play at the Geumnarae Mulcheombeong Rest Area.”

Gwangjin-gu officially began operations on June 27 with an opening commemorative performance at the Gwangjin Children's Theater.

The ‘Gwangjin Children's Theater’ is a child-centered cultural space designed to allow children easy access to and enjoyment of culture and arts. It is located on the 4th floor of the annex building of the Junggok-dong Health and Welfare Administration Town, with a total floor area of 257.9㎡, equipped with facilities such as dressing rooms, lobby, ticket office, 105 retractable seats, and 68 movable seats.

The Gwangjin Cultural Foundation (President Han Jin-seop), which operates the theater, presented the commemorative performance ‘Our Flower Garden’ over two days on the 27th and 28th. (Photo) ‘Our Flower Garden’ is a children's musical combining music and interactive experiences, telling the story of the protagonist Rose who colors a gray neighborhood without a single blade of grass with colorful flowers.

In particular, this performance was offered free of charge to daycare centers in Gwangjin-gu in celebration of ‘Culture Day.’ Starting on the 27th and 28th, about 500 infants, toddlers, and teachers from local daycare centers watched the performance, which will conclude its free run on the 30th.

Following the opening commemorative performance, the Gwangjin Children's Theater plans to serve as a multipurpose facility for local daycare centers and kindergartens by offering ▲theater rentals ▲small-scale performances ▲education and lectures.

Yangcheon-gu announced that starting in July, it will offer a senior-focused program called ‘Companion Humanities’ at the Gaewool Health Library, a health-specialized library.

The Gaewool Health Library has been operated as a communication space across generations through programs related to its specialized theme of health. In June, it conducted a specialized program on environment and health, and in the upcoming July, it will expand services for seniors through the ‘Companion Humanities’ program.

Recently, the Well-Aging trend has been spreading as a new standard for aging life. It means living a beautiful and healthy life after retirement. Since South Korea is one of the fastest countries entering a super-aged society, programs specialized for the senior generation are urgently needed.

Accordingly, the Gaewool Health Library will focus on the senior generation by opening a ‘Senior Picture Book’ course over six weeks from July 4 to August 8, and holding a four-week program called ‘Healing Art Museum’ for mental health from July 5 to 26, continuously offering high-quality senior content.

The ‘Senior Picture Book’ program, conducted with children’s author Lee Mi-ae, targets residents aged 60 and over. Each session involves reading picture books on the theme of ‘My Summer Story’ and engaging in various drawing techniques and short writing exercises.

Starting July 5, the ‘Healing Art Museum’ led by Kim Soul, head of the Florida Mind Research Institute, will open. The ‘Healing Art Museum’ helps relieve negative emotions and stress through art. It includes various workshops each session, such as stress checks through drawing tests for participants.

For detailed information about the senior-focused programs, please contact the Gaewool Health Library.

A representative of the Yangcheon Cultural Foundation said, “Analyzing the user base of the Gaewool Health Library showed an increase in senior users, so we prepared various ‘Companion Humanities’ programs for seniors throughout this year,” adding, “Yangcheon-gu and the Yangcheon Cultural Foundation will continue to support Well-Aging for the senior generation after retirement through diverse content.”