Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Jongno District transforms local parks into splash zones
Children play at Yeonji Water Playground in Jongno District. Courtesy of Seoul Jongno District Office
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seeking to offer residents respite from the rising summer temperatures, the Jongno District office in Seoul said Friday that it will transform four neighborhood parks into temporary aquatic playgrounds beginning Saturday, June 6.
The initiative will roll out sequentially across the district to provide local families with accessible recreational spaces through the peak of the season.
The primary site, Yeonji Water Playground, is scheduled to open on June 6 and will remain operational through Aug. 30. During the month of June, the facility will open exclusively on weekends before expanding its hours.
Three additional temporary installations — located at Sungin Neighborhood Park, Sanmaru Playground and Sangsang Guldduk Playground — will follow a modified schedule tailored to local school vacation calendars. Those three sites will operate on the weekends of July 11-12 and July 18-19, followed by a continuous daily run from July 23 through Aug. 16. To accommodate routine maintenance, all four locations will be closed on Mondays.
The facilities are intended exclusively for children of elementary school age and younger, with mandatory adult supervision required for any visitors aged 7 or under.
To maximize recreational value, the district has outfitted the parks with a variety of seasonal infrastructure, including water slides, inflatable pools and water tunnels. The Yeonji location will also feature designated rest areas for parents and accompanying family members.
Given that the infrastructure is designed for children, municipal officials emphasized that health and safety protocols have been significantly tightened. All four sites successfully passed rigorous preliminary water quality inspections ahead of opening day. Throughout the operational period, district workers will replace the water entirely on a daily basis and conduct mandatory water quality testing at least once a week.
Furthermore, the district has contracted specialized management firms to ensure that certified safety personnel are stationed at each playground during operating hours. Residents planning a visit can also monitor crowd density and real-time usage status via Jongno Pick, the district's mobile application.
"Because these park playgrounds attract so many families during the summer months, we have strictly reinforced our safety and water quality standards," Jongno District Mayor Jung Moon-heon said. "We are fully committed to managing these sites so that our residents can enjoy a safe, refreshing break close to home."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.