District Office, Residents, and Professional Inspection Agencies Join Forces
Launch of Comprehensive Survey Team for Children's Activity Spaces
Seocho-gu held the "Launch Ceremony of the Zero Heavy Metal Inspection Team for Children's Activity Spaces" on the 18th. (Photo by Seocho-gu Office)
Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) has become the first local government in the country to form a comprehensive investigation team for environmental hazardous substances, consisting of the district office, local residents, and specialized inspection agencies, to establish an environmental safety network that prevents exposure to harmful substances such as heavy metals in children’s activity spaces.
On the 22nd, the district announced that it held the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Children’s Activity Space Comprehensive Investigation Team’ on the 18th at Banwon Children’s Park in Banpo 3-dong. The investigation team includes 51 children’s playground environment managers composed of local residents and five specialized environmental hazardous substance inspection agencies.
The district explained that by involving residents and specialized agencies in environmental safety management, which had previously been conducted mainly by local government personnel, they will proactively and professionally inspect a total of 672 children’s activity spaces to eliminate safety blind spots. Children’s activity spaces include daycare center rooms, residential complex playgrounds, and kids cafes.
At the inauguration ceremony, representatives of the 51 environment managers composed of local residents received their appointment certificates. They will continuously monitor and improve the environmental safety of children’s play facilities in residential complexes and parks within the area. It is expected that direct participation by residents will enhance the fairness and reliability of the inspections.
Following this, five specialized inspection agencies, including the Korea Testing Laboratory for Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronic Equipment, explained how the comprehensive investigation will be conducted in the future. They plan to systematically inspect the 672 children’s activity spaces in Seocho-gu for ▲rust, cracks, and peeling paint on the exterior of facilities ▲exceeding heavy metal standards in paints and coatings ▲exceeding heavy metal standards in sand and synthetic rubber flooring ▲and indoor air quality.
On the day, the mayor, environment managers, and residents directly checked heavy metal levels and other factors at Banwon Children’s Park to confirm whether it is a safe space where children can play without worry. Starting from this inspection, about ten spaces will be inspected daily, with the comprehensive investigation scheduled to be completed by September this year.
Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “Through this comprehensive investigation project, we will make Seocho-gu a domestic and international model case in the field of children’s environmental safety,” adding, “We will do our best to provide children with a safe and healthy play environment, improve the quality of life for residents, and contribute to the sustainable development of the local community.”
On the 18th, at the launch ceremony of the 'Zero Heavy Metals Survey Team for Children's Activity Spaces,' Jeon Seong-su, the mayor of Seocho-gu, signed the 'Our Neighborhood Playground Environmental Safety Pledge.' (Photo by Seocho-gu Office)
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