[Journalism Internship] Public parks offer respite for residents but experts say government needs to make better provisions

The government has been making efforts in recent years to create more city parks to provide a resting place for citizens and visitors. One of the latest projects that was recently completed and unveiled on Aug. 6 is the Gwanghwamun Plaza, which had been under construction for 21 months.

The redeveloped Gwanghwamun plaza has expanded 2.1 times, allowing more space for pedestrians. Around 5,000 trees were planted to create shade, increasing green areas to a quarter of the plaza, three times larger than before. New fountains have been installed by two existing two statues — King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-shin — to remind the public of their great achievements like the creation of the Korean alphabet hangul and the victory in the Battle of Myeongnyang.

People visit Gwanghwamun Square, a major landmark in central Seoul, on Sunday, after it opened to the public after nearly two years of renovation. [YONHAP]

On the opening day of the new “park-like square,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said, "The owners of the square are the citizens. I hope it will be loved as an open space where citizens freely communicate and rest in the city center.” Han added that the “government will also do its best to raise the public's self-esteem and make the plaza a proud tourist attraction.”

Yang Wook-Jae, a professor of urban ecology at the University of Utah, said, “Creating more parks in the city certainly helps its residents to improve their physical activities and health. More green also means reduced heat, promoting safe and pleasant external activities for residents.”

Oh Seung-hyun who lives in Seongdong district, eastern Seoul said, he specifically picked the neighborhood because there’s a large park Seoul Forest near his house. Oh also added the house prices of the neighborhood have been increasing for decades because of the park.

Kim Dong-hyun, who also chose to live in Incheon’s Songdo because of its park said, “People definitely need a green space between high-rise apartments.”

However, Prof. Yang insists that the government has to come up with a better plan to operate public parks. According to Yang, people dumping garbage, especially takeout cups and leftover delivery foods due to lack of trashcans is a major eyesore for residents. He also emphasized the lack of parking spaces near large parks, which also creates complaints from residents.
“The government has been expanding the number of parks, establishing new public parks in new towns and so on. However, they have to be managed better and before they open them to the public, enough parking spaces and trash cans should be installed to make everyone happy.”

BY CHOI DA-IN, SHIN JI-SEUN, LEE YE-WON [choidain413@gmail.com, sjs021212@naver.com, yewonny0411@gmail.com]