Yangcheon-gu's 'Indoor Play Space in Urban Parks' to Enjoy with Nature

Seoul-style Kids Cafe Yangcheon-gu Omok Park Branch, Yangcheon Park 'Kijite', Loved as an Urban Nature Play Spot... Offering Various Play Items Supporting Children's Holistic Growth from Small Tools to Combination Playgrounds

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) has created Omok Park’s “Seoul-style Kids Cafe” and Yangcheon Park’s “KIGIT” to promote the holistic growth of children and improve the quality of life for residents. These facilities have become popular natural play spots in the city with easy accessibility.

First, the “Seoul-style Kids Cafe Yangcheon-gu Omok Park Branch,” which opened in February this year, is a so-called “new” playground with the concept of an “outdoor playground with a roof.” The park-type kids cafe “Omok Park Branch” covers a total floor area of 225.72㎡ (indoor 126.72㎡) and uses wood as a building material to harmonize with the natural environment of the forest-surrounded park. The building walls are finished with floor-to-ceiling glass to provide an open feeling, and folding doors are installed at the front to connect the indoor playground and the deck into one space. This design allows visitors to enjoy both indoor and outdoor play areas, making it a new type of kids cafe.

Inside the kids cafe, there are dynamic play spaces needed to promote physical activity in early childhood, such as a tag maze, a creative play zone for emotional experiential activities, a cozy secret hideout zone with cushions, and a resting area, creating a three-dimensional play environment. Outside the kids cafe, there is a sand play zone where children can feel nature with their fingertips.

The “Seoul-style Kids Cafe Yangcheon-gu Omok Park Branch” is available to children aged 4 to 9 residing in Seoul and operates from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The usage fee is 3,000 KRW per child (including one guardian), and an additional 2,000 KRW is charged for play care services. Reservations can be made in advance on the “Our Neighborhood Care Portal” website. However, if the number of reservations on the day is below capacity, on-site applications are also accepted.

Yangcheon Park’s “KIGIT” is an integrated indoor and outdoor play space with a total floor area of 165.95㎡. It connects the indoor play area under the central stage of the park with the upper “Kungkwang Kungkwang Kkum Maru Playground,” allowing visitors to enjoy indoor and outdoor play all year round regardless of the weather.

The indoor play space includes a ▲infant hideout ▲central play area ▲multipurpose room ▲nursing room ▲children-only restroom, making it convenient for infants, children, and guardians to use without burden when going out. Additionally, various themed play programs such as crafts and tactile play, involving child play experts, are offered monthly. The outdoor “Kungkwang Kungkwang Kkum Maru Playground” consists of dynamic play facilities such as water and sand play areas beneficial for sensory development, a boat playground, and a large slide.

Yangcheon Park’s “KIGIT” is available free of charge to infants and children aged 0 to 8 (up to 2nd grade elementary school) from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Reservations can be made in advance on the “Seoul Public Service Reservation” website or on-site on the day of visit.

Meanwhile, over the past three years, Yangcheon Park’s “KIGIT” has had a cumulative attendance of about 23,000 people, and since its opening this year, the Seoul-style Kids Cafe Yangcheon-gu Omok Park Branch has welcomed about 1,500 citizens.

Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “We will continue to expand public indoor play facilities where our children can play safely and healthily, creating a ‘Yangcheon that is good for raising children.’”