Seoul Plaza's skating rink reopens for first time in three years

Workers set up the skating rink at Seoul Plaza in Jung District, central Seoul on Sunday. [NEWS1]

The skating rink at Seoul Plaza will open this winter for the first time in three years.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that the Seoul Plaza skating rink will start operation from Dec. 21. The skating rink had previously opened each winter as a seasonal attraction, but was closed due to the pandemic for the past three years.

Hours of operations will be from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and until 11 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. The rink will be open until Feb. 12 of next year.

Tickets to rent skates and use the rink for one hour cost 1,000 won (76 cents), the same price since the rink first opened in 2004. Safety equipment such as helmets and knee pads can be rented free of charge, while lockers will require an additional fee.

Reservations can be made both online — at www.seoulskate.co.kr — and offline at the rink.

The city government announced that the number of safety personnel at the skating rink will be doubled from previous years, and that medical personnel will also be present at all times.

The skating rink will close on days when ultrafine dust levels exceed a certain amount. A notification will be posted on the website on these days and people who have made reservations will be sent a text message.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]