'Our school playground became a water park': Gangbuk-gu opens free splash zones for kids

Children visit the water play facility operated by Gangbuk-gu. [Provided by Gangbuk-gu]

After days of monsoon rain, the sun blazed down Friday as children in swimsuits poured into the playground of Gangbuk Middle School in Seoul's Gangbuk-gu. Stepping through the school's front gate, visitors were met with an unlikely sight: a full-scale water park had taken over what was once an empty field. Spread across roughly 3,000 square meters, the grounds featured a children's pool 70 centimeters deep, a youth pool at 110 centimeters and a water slide. Rest areas flanked the pools and slide, and a small snack stand rounded out the setup — a genuine water park in every sense.

Friday marked the opening day of Gangbuk-gu's water play programs — a children's facility and a youth facility — which the district launched in 2024. Noting a shortage of water play spaces for children and teenagers compared with other parts of the city, the district hit on the idea of converting school playgrounds into aquatic venues.

The facilities, set up at the playgrounds of Songcheon Elementary School and Gangbuk Middle School respectively, will run without a break for 10 days through Aug. 3. Unlike some Han River pools, which charge admission, both sites are free to any Gangbuk-gu resident.

Children were enthusiastic. Moon Tae-hwan, 12, said he came with his younger sibling and wanted to return with friends next time, while Lee So-yun, 10, declared the mega slide her favorite attraction.

Song Yeong-suk, principal of Gangbuk Middle School, which opened its playground for the program, said it was deeply meaningful for the school to become an open space for the local community through the district's youth water play initiative.

The children's facility is open to Gangbuk-gu residents aged 12 and under, while the youth facility serves those 15 and under. For safety, each session is capped at 600 and 500 visitors respectively. The district allocated a total budget of 566 million won ($385,000) for the water play project.

Gangbuk-gu District Mayor Jeong Chang-su conducts a safety inspection at the water play facility. [Provided by Gangbuk-gu]

Given that the facilities serve children, the district has put safety at the forefront. Measures include deploying safety personnel who have completed advance safety training, conducting water quality checks every two hours, keeping filtration systems in continuous operation, and stationing a medical room and ambulance on site — a comprehensive hygiene and safety framework designed to let all visitors enjoy the water without worry.

District Mayor Jeong visited Gangbuk Middle School on Thursday alongside officials from the Gangbuk Police Station, Gangbuk Fire Station and Korea Electrical Safety Corporation to inspect safety management on the ground.

Jeong said facilities must be thoroughly inspected and water quality kept clean so that children and teenagers can enjoy the water with peace of mind. He also called on staff to ensure safety personnel working through the heat wave get adequate rest and stay hydrated.

ikson@heraldcorp.com