Concerns have been raised that the swimming pool at Sangmu National Sports Center, which opened on March 29, is causing increasing inconvenience to citizens due to being closed twice a week and the absence of swimming lesson programs.
On the 9th, Kim Tae-jin, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council, urged for ▲ extended swimming pool operating hours ▲ withdrawal of weekly closures on Sundays and Mondays ▲ improvement of swimming instructors' working conditions and recruitment to enhance convenience for citizens during a 5-minute free speech at the 311th extraordinary session.
Councilman Kim stated, “To extend swimming hours and provide lessons, five additional swimming instructors need to be recruited on top of the current four,” adding, “For the proper operation of Sangmu National Sports Center, it is urgent to improve the working conditions of swimming instructors, recruit more staff, and secure the necessary budget.”
The Sangmu National Sports Center was completed after five years with a budget of 11 billion KRW (3 billion KRW national funds, 2 billion KRW city funds, 6 billion KRW district funds including special local tax, and an additional 900 million KRW for special large-scale adjustments) following its selection in 2018 for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s community-based national sports center project.
The swimming pool at Sangmu National Sports Center, scheduled to open on May 16, operates from 9:00 AM to 5:50 PM and is closed every Sunday and Monday.
Most swimming pools operated by other autonomous districts are open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, with closures only two to four times per month.
A representative from the Seo-gu Facilities Management Corporation stated, “The minimum staffing for the swimming pool is set at four,” and explained, “The reason there were no applicants for the public swimming instructor positions is due to poor working conditions.”
Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho yjm3070@asiae.co.kr
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