The Seoripul water play park in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Seocho-gu]
The Seoripul water play park in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Seocho-gu]

Seoul's Seocho-gu said Wednesday it will open the Seoripul water play parks on Saturday so residents can enjoy a cool summer close to home.

Running through Aug. 21, this year's Seoripul water play parks will operate at three locations starting Saturday: Banpo General Sports Complex, Seocho Yongheori Neighborhood Park and Wonperla Children's Park.

Banpo General Sports Complex will host a large water play area open to adults as well as children, featuring four types of pools — modular pools, an inflatable pool and slide for elementary-school children, and an inflatable pool for infants. Seocho Yongheori Neighborhood Park will offer a mid-size children's water play area with three pools tailored to different age groups, along with a fountain tunnel and small rides including a carousel.

Wonperla Children's Park is new to the lineup this year. The existing water playground has been expanded with an inflatable pool and slide for elementary-school children and a special event pool. A 10-seat mini train and a carousel have also been added to the ride offerings.

All three sites will host a range of events. A "live radio" segment lets visitors submit song requests and personal stories by scanning a QR code on-site, and a print tattoo experience will run daily. A foam play session is scheduled for around 3 p.m. each day. On weekends, the parks will offer hands-on programs — water-drop crafts, a survival water-gun battle and a survival bracelet workshop — alongside science and safety activities.

The district will take particular care to maintain safe and clean conditions. Water quality checks will be conducted every two hours throughout the day, and between seven and 12 safety personnel per site — including nurses and other medical staff — will be on duty at all times.

The parks will operate daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no rest days. Admission is 3,000 won at Banpo General Sports Complex and 2,000 won at the other two locations. To keep children's body temperatures stable and ensure a comfortable environment, the pools will run for 45 minutes followed by a 15-minute break, with a facility maintenance period from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The Yangjae Stream outdoor pool, which opened June 20, will add evening hours on Saturday — running from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. — as the peak summer season gets underway, giving residents a chance to enjoy water activities on warm summer nights. The facility spans 6,400 square meters and includes a children's pool (0.5 meters deep), a lazy river (1 meter), an adult pool (1.1 meters), an inflatable pool and a slide. This year, water buckets, a fountain tunnel and water guns have been added to the lazy river, and the adult pool has been doubled in size compared to last year.

"I hope families can make happy memories together enjoying a cool summer close to home," Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said. "We will do our utmost to manage the facilities and put safety measures in place so children can play in the water safely and joyfully."


cook@heraldcorp.com