National Safety Experience Center to be Built in Uijeongbu and Paju Following Osan

'Osan National Safety Experience Center' opened in April last year

Gyeonggi Province will add 'National Safety Experience Centers' in Uijeongbu and Paju following Osan. This is a measure to strengthen experience-centered safety education for residents.

On the 6th, Gyeonggi Province announced that Uijeongbu and Paju cities were each selected in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's '2023 2nd Phase National Safety Experience Center Construction Contest,' securing a total of about 24 billion KRW in national funding.

The National Safety Experience Centers play a role in raising safety awareness through experiential education and supporting the improvement of response capabilities during disasters and safety accidents. The first center in Gyeonggi Province opened in Osan City in April last year.

The newly selected Uijeongbu and Paju centers will feature ▲specialized experience facilities tailored for all age groups from infants to people with disabilities and seniors ▲integration of the latest information and communication technologies such as augmented reality (AR) fire extinguishers, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) simulators, and earthquake experience AR ▲future-oriented complex safety experience centers and open cultural spaces utilizing the latest technologies (augmented reality, virtual reality, etc.) including exhibition halls, performance venues, and small libraries.

In particular, reflecting the demand for experience centers by city and province, Uijeongbu will focus on education centered on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN) and civil defense, while Paju will provide education on survival swimming and industrial safety behavior guidelines.

The Uijeongbu National Safety Experience Center will be located inside the Green Yard Neighborhood Park in Minrak-dong, with four floors above ground and one basement floor. The total area is 7,000㎡, with a dedicated area of 3,000㎡, operating 8 experience zones, 13 experience rooms, and 46 experience programs. The total project cost is 42 billion KRW, including 12 billion KRW in national funding.

The Paju National Safety Experience Center will be located within the park land of Unjeong 3 District, with four floors above ground and one basement floor. The total area is 8,000㎡, with a dedicated area of 6,741㎡, equipped with 8 experience zones and 25 experience rooms. A total of 30 experience programs will be operated here. The total project cost is 42 billion KRW, including 12 billion KRW in national funding.

The newly selected Uijeongbu and Paju National Safety Experience Centers are scheduled to begin construction between 2024 and 2025 and be completed between 2028 and 2029.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "Following the currently operating Osan National Safety Experience Center, the construction of safety experience centers in the northern regions of Uijeongbu and Paju will enable practical experience-centered safety education," adding, "Once safety experience centers are established in both southern and northern Gyeonggi regions, it will greatly help improve the safety accident response capabilities of 14 million Gyeonggi residents."

Meanwhile, the Osan National Safety Experience Center was built in Naesammi-dong with a site area of 16,745㎡ and a total floor area of 7,094㎡, consisting of one building with one basement floor and one above-ground floor. It boasts the largest scale nationwide with 9 experience zones and 52 experience categories. The total project cost was 30.77 billion KRW, including 10 billion KRW in national funding, 10.77 billion KRW from the provincial government, and 10 billion KRW from the city government.

The experience programs include a children's safety experience center where participants can experience daily life and traffic safety, social and natural disasters, and outdoor safety, as well as a complex safety experience center. Facilities include an emergency treatment specialized experience center, a 4D theater, a virtual reality (VR) experience center, and a planned exhibition hall.