Assembly member Han Byung-do. [Provided by Han Byung-do's office]
Assembly member Han Byung-do. [Provided by Han Byung-do's office]

While school playground access rates in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province have reached the 90 percent range, gymnasium opening rates remain stuck in the 60 to 70 percent range, significantly limiting residents' access to indoor sports facilities, according to national audit data.

North Gyeongsang Province increased its related budget by nearly 44 percent, yet the improvement in gymnasium access rates was negligible.

Han Byung-do, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker on the National Assembly's Education Committee, released the data Tuesday, drawn from national audit materials submitted by the Daegu and North Gyeongsang provincial education offices. This year's school gymnasium opening rates stand at 68.4 percent in Daegu and 75.7 percent in North Gyeongsang Province.

In Daegu, 316 of 462 schools with gymnasiums have opened them to the public. In North Gyeongsang Province, 600 of 793 such schools have done so.

The number of schools keeping their gymnasiums closed stands at 146 in Daegu and 193 in North Gyeongsang Province — a stark contrast to playground opening rates of 94.5 percent and 90.9 percent, respectively.

Daegu's gymnasium opening rate rose 2.8 percentage points from 65.6 percent in 2022 to 68.4 percent this year, but remains in the 60 percent range.

North Gyeongsang Province saw its rate climb 1.9 percentage points from 73.8 percent in 2024 to 75.7 percent this year, yet the actual number of schools opening their gymnasiums fell from 624 to 600.

In Daegu, the most common reason cited for keeping gymnasiums closed was security and management concerns — particularly in schools where the gymnasium is connected to the main building — affecting 71 schools. In North Gyeongsang Province, the most frequently cited reason was interference with school educational activities, cited by 122 schools.

Han said that while student safety and a conducive learning environment are important, public access should be expanded through measures such as separating entrances, reinforcing security infrastructure and providing management personnel support.

Financial support for school sports facility access from North Gyeongsang Province and the North Gyeongsang Sports Council grew 43.8 percent, from 488.1 million won ($366,000) in 2024 to 701.83 million won this year.

"The Daegu and North Gyeongsang education offices need to manage not just the numbers behind opening rates, but the actual utilization that residents experience, and rigorously verify the reasons schools cite for keeping facilities closed," Han said. "They must put in place effective measures, including budgets for facility improvements, support for management personnel and a clear division of responsibility with local governments."


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