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| This photo taken May 2, shows an information center inside Yongsan Children's Garden, in Seoul, which will open to the public on May 4. Yonhap |
A newly constructed park in front of the presidential office building will open to the public this week ahead of the first anniversary of President Yoon Suk Yeol's inauguration, the office said Tuesday.
The park, which has been named Yongsan Children's Garden, will open Thursday on the eve of the Children's Day holiday, after having undergone reconstruction for a year in line with Yoon's campaign pledge to draw closer to the public.
As part of that pledge, Yoon also relocated the presidential office out of Cheong Wa Dae to the former defense ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul.
Yongsan Children's Garden occupies around 300,000 square meters of land previously used as a base by U.S. forces stationed in Korea. The garden will account for about a tenth of a larger park under construction, called Yongsan Park.
Visitors will be able to walk between the former residences of U.S. military officers, cross a large lawn and climb a hill with a view of the presidential office. Children will also be able to play baseball and football on sports fields.
The presidential office said the park passed an environmental safety inspection, which was conducted due to the land's former use as a military base.
The presidential security service considered placing robot dogs inside the park as an extra security measure and a symbol of "future scientific security."
The plan has been scrapped for now amid internal questions about the robots' utility, a presidential official said.
Yoon marks one year in office on May 10. (Yonhap)
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