Gangnam-gu Expands Elementary School Playground Access to Promote 'Gangnam Open Schools' Initiative

Operating 14 Sites This Year Through Public Contest, Opening School Playgrounds on Weekday Evenings and Weekends with Incentives for Schools... Expanding from 1 to 5 Sites to Enhance Practical Accessibility of Elementary School Playgrounds in Residential Areas -

Sudo Technical High School Bench

Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) has expanded the Gangnam Open Schools, which allow residents to use school playgrounds on weekday evenings and weekends in cooperation with local schools, from 6 locations last year to 14 locations this year.

Gangnam Open Schools is a project that opens school playground facilities to residents in areas lacking parks or sports facilities so they can exercise close to home, and the district provides incentives to schools for opening their grounds.

The district supports each school according to its circumstances by providing ▲enhanced school safety and repair of aging facilities ▲personnel costs for dedicated staff ▲payment of public utility fees due to opening ▲installation of CCTV and night lighting. Over the past year of operation, exercise equipment and benches were installed at schools, and new paving blocks were laid to improve user convenience.

The district especially focused on opening elementary school playgrounds. Elementary schools within walking distance are more numerous than middle and high schools and are distributed throughout residential areas. Opening elementary school playgrounds within residents' walking living areas is expected to significantly improve accessibility, and the district plans to continue focusing on opening elementary school playgrounds. Through this year’s public contest, 8 schools were finally selected based on criteria such as ▲lack of resident sports facility infrastructure like parks ▲schools available for weekday night opening. Among these, the number of elementary schools increased significantly from 1 last year to a total of 4 this year, operating 5 locations in total.

The 14 Gangnam Open Schools include ▲Shingu Elementary, Sinsa Middle, Hakdong Elementary in Sinsa and Nonhyeon-dong areas ▲Apgujeong Middle and High, Gyeonggi High in Apgujeong and Samsung areas ▲Dandae Middle and High, Yeoksam Elementary in Daechi and Yeoksam-dong areas ▲Poi Elementary, Sudogong Technical High in Gaepo-dong area ▲Daemo Elementary, Jungsan High, Sejong High in Irwon and Suseo-dong areas. Schools will open their playgrounds for the next two years. Usage times vary slightly by school, generally after school hours on weekdays and on weekends (see table below). Residents can check the usage times and visit for walking, jogging, and light exercise.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “Open schools that share school infrastructure with local residents are a cooperative project model where both institutions win,” and added, “I ask residents to use the popular open schools with mature civic awareness and responsibility so that they can be further activated.”