Busan is good

Park Heong-joon: “Children’s Laughter Is the City’s Future”—Former Hialeah Barracks Reborn as a Public Kids Café

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold the opening ceremony today (Feb. 24) at 10:20 a.m. for the “Dangsincheoreom Aejijungji Public Kids Café” (hereinafter referred to as the Kids Café), an indoor play space dedicated to infants and toddlers, located in Busan Citizens Park.

The Kids Café was developed as part of Busan-style parenting policy brand “Dangsincheoreom Aejijungji,” based on a memorandum of understanding and sponsorship concluded between the city, BNK Busan Bank, and the Busan Regional Headquarters of ChildFund Korea during March–April last year, and involves remodeling the former Pororo Library within the park.
It began pilot operations on Dec. 23 last year, attracting an average of 142 visitors per day over approximately two months.
About 150 people, including Mayor Park Heong-joon, key guests, Aejijungji supporters, and families with young children, are expected to attend the opening ceremony. As accompanying events, a “Retro Pop-Up Playground” (including ddakji-chigi, rubber shoe tossing, briquette stacking, and gonggi play) will allow parents and children to create shared memories.

The building housing the Kids Café was formerly used as soldiers’ quarters during the U.S. Hialeah Camp era and is located within a historic preservation district. Accordingly, remodeling proceeded following detailed reviews by experts from the National Heritage Committee to preserve the original barracks structure.

Outside, photo zones featuring children’s beloved character Pororo and the city’s official mascot Boogi clearly signal that the space is dedicated to infants and toddlers. The building was also designed with curved exterior lines to harmonize visually with the park scenery and nearby Classic Busan architecture.
In addition, historical information panels describing the building’s transformation have been installed so visitors can naturally encounter the site’s historical significance.

The interior centers on play-experience rooms themed around “forest exploration” and includes convenient facilities for families with infants and toddlers such as a nursing room (baby rest area), family restroom, and counseling room.
The play-experience room operates across three themed spaces that stimulate children’s senses. The “Sound-Perking Gate” features animals drawn by children that come alive on screens to enhance immersion. The “Up-and-Down Forest Adventure Zone” is an active area with various play equipment that supports large-muscle development through free movement. The “Sound-Gathering Forest Stage” allows children to discover various natural sounds within a forest-inspired setting.

In addition, diverse programs tailored to infants and toddlers (parent-child participation programs and five-senses play programs) and parenting support services for parents will be offered.
The parent-child participation program involves craft activities and is available freely while using the play-experience room on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 1:10 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The five-senses play program is conducted weekly on Wednesdays at 4:10 p.m. with professional instructors on various themes, and programs linked with Classic Busan will be developed and operated. Parents wishing to participate may apply online.
Furthermore, professional counseling rooms will support caregivers’ parenting concerns and psychological counseling while providing customized information according to children’s developmental stages.

The Kids Café is open to infants aged 0–5 and their parents and is free of charge. No separate food or beverages are sold. It operates four sessions daily from Tuesday to Sunday (09:30–17:30).
It is closed on New Year’s Day, Labor Day, Seollal and Chuseok holidays, and other statutory holidays. Those wishing to use the facility may make advance reservations or register on site through the “Dangsincheoreom Aejijungji Public Kids Café” website (bcsc.kr/kc2/index.php).

Meanwhile, beginning with the first Dangsincheoreom Aejijungji Kids Café at Busan Citizens Park, the city plans to open a second branch in the second half of this year by utilizing a closed daycare center in Nam-gu and will continue expanding Kids Cafés through public-private cooperation and the use of idle spaces such as closed daycare facilities.

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “It is very meaningful to open a public kids café dedicated to infants and toddlers in the symbolic space of Busan Citizens Park. I hope this place will go beyond a simple play area to become a space where children cultivate imagination and sensitivity while also serving as a warm resting place where parents can share parenting experiences and catch their breath.”

He added, “To leap forward as a city that is friendly for childbirth and childrearing, Busan Metropolitan City is building a dense support system across care, childcare, housing, and education. We will continue to actively utilize idle spaces to expand public kids cafés and strengthen caregiver support programs and professional counseling functions to realize Busan as a city where children and parents are happy together.”