DistantNews
Support us
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

School playground used for government building's floral decorations sparks safety concerns

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Parents are protesting the use of a primary school's playground by a government facility for growing plants to decorate the Seoul government building.
  • Concerns include safety risks from truck traffic, pesticide use, and the overall impact on students' health and education.
  • While the facility claims to use eco-friendly pesticides and limit truck access, parents demand the relocation of the plant cultivation site.

Parents are demanding the removal of a plant cultivation facility adjacent to Deoksu Elementary School's playground in Seoul, arguing that its use poses significant risks to students' safety and health. The facility, managed by the Government Complex Management Office under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, grows plants used to decorate the Seoul government building. Trucks servicing the facility use the playground's edge, leaving tire marks and raising concerns about traffic safety, especially during school hours.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is growing plants, compromising children's health and safety to decorate the government building.

— Kim ChaekChairman of the Deoksu Elementary School Steering Committee, criticizing the government's use of the school's adjacent land.

The cultivation site, located next to the playground since 2000, has been a point of contention. Although the playground is on land swapped with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the school uses it under a lease agreement. Parents are particularly worried about the spraying of pesticides and fertilizers near the playground. While the management office claims to use low-toxicity and plant-based eco-friendly pesticides since 2009 and 2023 respectively, and that pesticide application occurs only on Saturdays when students are absent, parents remain skeptical and argue that the facility has not adequately assessed its impact on student safety or the educational environment.

Since 2009, we have used low-toxicity pesticides, and since 2023, pesticides made from plant extracts. It has been confirmed that pesticide work was only done on Saturdays (when students are absent) since 2018.

— Government Complex Management Office OfficialResponding to concerns about pesticide use at the facility.

The school and parents' committee are urging the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to relocate the facility and return the land for educational use. Although discussions are ongoing involving the school, the Seoul Central District Office of Education, and the management office, finding a suitable alternative site for the facility or a land swap remains challenging. The management office acknowledges the importance of student safety and is exploring various solutions with the education authorities, but insists that immediate demolition is difficult.

Securing the playground land and returning it to the children is an investment in the future.

— Park Soo-minPrincipal of Deoksu Elementary School, emphasizing the importance of the playground for students.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog