Chungmu and Hoehyeon sports centers to open 30 minutes earlier on Sundays

The Chungmu Sports Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Jung-gu Office]
The Chungmu Sports Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Jung-gu Office]

Seoul's Jung-gu will reduce the monthly closure days at seven district-run public sports facilities from two to one starting Thursday, the district office announced Tuesday. The Chungmu and Hoehyeon sports centers will also open 30 minutes earlier on Sundays, and aging facilities have been refurbished to create a more comfortable environment for recreational sports.

The district's sports facilities had previously closed twice a month — on the second and fourth Sundays or Mondays. But workers who can only find time on weekends and elderly residents who use the facilities consistently had repeatedly called for expanded access. In response, the district revised its operating schedule to close only on the second week of each month starting in October.

Under the expanded schedule, five facilities — the Chungmu, Hoehyeon, Namsan, Son Kee-chung and Jangchung sports centers — will remain open on the fourth Sunday of each month, while the Muhakbong and Hullyeonwon Park gymnasiums will stay open on the fourth Monday.

The district also completed repairs on aging facilities to make exercising safer and more convenient for residents. The Chungmu Sports Center replaced its pool chiller, shower room water-heating equipment and indoor golf range air conditioners in July and August, and resurfaced the outdoor golf range with new artificial turf. The Hoehyeon Sports Center completed waterproofing work on its annex parking lot in June.

"Public sports facilities are the spaces where residents can most easily take care of their health in daily life," Jung-gu District Mayor Kim Gil-sung said. "We will remove small inconveniences one by one — whether it's one fewer closure day or 30 more minutes of opening time — so our facilities can be there for residents at every moment."


ikson@heraldcorp.com