Gwangju City Children's Safety Experience Center Emerges as a "Hot Place"

First Floor of City Hall: 4,283 Visitors in Q1, Double Last Year
Hands-On Safety Education Including Earthquake Evacuation and Emergency Reporting

Kindergarten children are receiving earthquake simulation education at the Children's Safety Experience Center on the first floor of Gwangju City Hall. Photo by Gwangju City

The Children's Safety Experience Center operated by Gwangju City has established itself as a "hot place" among children. Located on the first floor of City Hall, the center saw its number of visitors nearly double in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. From January to March 2025, a total of 4,283 visitors from 140 groups visited the Children's Safety Experience Center. This represents an increase of 2,201 people, or 194%, compared to the same period last year.

The growing popularity of the Safety Experience Center is attributed to several activation measures, including strengthened promotion by local children's centers, the Gwangju City Office of Education, and child-related departments and institutions; the implementation of satisfaction surveys; the operation of a safety drawing program utilizing the "Open Government Building"; and an increase in the number of participants per session from 20 to 30. In particular, while visitor numbers typically declined during the school opening period in previous years, reservations and participation have continued to rise steadily through April 2025.

Since its opening in November 2015, the Gwangju City Children's Safety Experience Center has provided 13 types of hands-on educational content for children aged 4 to 12, including CPR, subway safety, emergency reporting, earthquake evacuation, and elevator safety experiences.

The center is free of charge and open to all citizens, who can participate by making a reservation in advance through the Gwangju City "Baro Reservation" website or by registering on-site after 3 p.m. on weekdays.

On April 20, Lee Buho, Director of Safety Policy, stated, "Safety is an essential part of our daily lives, and children can experience the importance of safety by seeing, hearing, and feeling for themselves. I hope this helps children develop safe living habits from an early age."