Accelerating the Construction of a Public Rest Area (Camping Site) in Ongjin-gun for Residents to Enjoy Affordable Nearby Relaxation... Securing Reliability from Site Selection with Sister City Recommendations... Fair Review by Selection Committee
Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu: "The Harder the Economy, the More We Need Affordable Rest Areas for Residents... Enhancing Residents' Happiness"
Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) has drawn up a blueprint for the construction of the district's first public recreational facility (a complex camping site, hereinafter referred to as the ‘recreational facility’) for next year.
The plan is to build a 'Mapo-gu Residents' Recreational Facility' equipped with a 30,000㎡ camping site on Jangbongdo Island in Ongjin-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City, a sister city of Mapo-gu and adjacent to Seoul.
Among the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, Mapo-gu ranks within the top 10 in financial independence. Currently, 12 autonomous districts with similar financial independence levels to Mapo-gu, such as Seongdong-gu and Yeongdeungpo-gu, operate public recreational facilities (camping sites) either within or outside their regions, and more than five of these districts have been operating such facilities for over 10 years.
Accordingly, the district is promoting the construction of the recreational facility to help revitalize the economy by overcoming the triple challenges of economic recession, rising prices, and high interest rates, while enabling all Mapo-gu residents to enjoy rest nearby at an affordable cost.
Mapo-gu plans to request budget allocation from the Mapo-gu Council for the construction of the recreational facility in the 2025 budget and will conduct a feasibility study by the end of December.
In 2018 (the 7th local government term), the district also attempted to build a public recreational facility worth 38.7 billion KRW in Gochang-gun, Jeollabuk-do, but the project was withdrawn due to excessive costs, poor accessibility of the selected site, and concerns over the fact that it was the hometown of the then mayor.
On the 11th, a mother and son who participated in the Eompparang Camping organized for the first time by Ongjin-gun in Mapo-gu are having a conversation inside a tent.
Therefore, Mapo-gu has placed emphasis on fairness and reliability from the site selection process and formed a ‘Recreational Facility Construction Task Force’ in March to solicit candidate sites. In May, it received site recommendations from seven sister cities of Mapo-gu and completed on-site inspections of nine candidate locations including Namhae-gun, Gochang-gun, Yecheon-gun, and Ongjin-gun.
Furthermore, to ensure expertise and objectivity in the selection, a Recreational Facility Site Selection Committee composed of 12 members?including Mapo-gu council members, architectural and real estate advisors, and resident representatives?evaluated five criteria: accessibility, ease of development, site environment, cost-effectiveness, and development potential, ultimately selecting Ongjin-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City as the final site.
A committee official explained, “Jangbongdo Island in Ongjin-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City, received high scores because it is the closest site to Mapo-gu, requiring about 90 minutes travel time, is near the ferry terminal and beach, and offers convenient access to utilities such as electricity and water.”
Additionally, the Recreational Facility Construction Task Force revisited the site to verify concerns about aircraft noise on Jangbongdo. Although noise was not perceived as significant on-site, they plan to conduct more detailed measurements for a thorough analysis.
The district plans to begin construction in the first half of next year, developing the site into a ‘complex family camping site’ featuring glamping, caravans, camping decks, a swimming pool, soccer field, jokgu (Korean foot volleyball) court, playground, and other sports and auxiliary facilities.
Mapo-gu will incorporate the feasibility study results into next year’s project implementation to build a high-quality public recreational facility and aims to secure as much external funding as possible, including national subsidies, to reduce the district’s financial burden.
Currently, the Mapo-gu recreational facility construction project has passed the district council’s approval for the management plan of district-owned property and the shared property fund review, with only the council’s budget review remaining.
Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, stated, “A public recreational facility has little meaning when everyone is in a comfortable situation. It is precisely during difficult economic times that facilities are needed where any resident can relieve stress and rest for a day or two at an affordable cost.”
He added, “Creating a city where people can feel ‘I am truly happy because I am a resident of Mapo-gu’ is the goal and competitiveness of local governments.”
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