Home > National > Social Affairs

Seoul has a birthrate crisis. Are more playgrounds the answer?

Published: 09 May. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 11 May. 2025, 12:28

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Children and parents play at a city-run kids cafe in Daebang-dong, Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on May 2. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[GIVE IT A GO]

The moment children stepped into the Daebang-dong indoor playground in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, their eyes lit up.

The vibrant indoor wonderland was filled with colorful play structures like twisting slides, climbing zones and forts towering nearly three meters (9.8 feet) high. Children ran, laughed, built with blocks and slid down the slides, alongside their parents, on Friday afternoon.

From cash incentives to diaper discounts, Korea has implemented a range of policies to combat its chronically low birthrate and is now offering something a bit more playful: a refuge in the crowded capital to run around indoors, complete with slides and trampolines. The Seoul Metropolitan Government recently began creating indoor playgrounds, or kids cafes, where young ones can let off steam while parents take a much-needed breather — or join in the fun.

“After visiting this city-run kids cafe, I began going to private ones less,” said one mother of a 6-year-old who lives in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. The mother explained that she often visits these public facilities when her child wants to play outside but the weather isn’t favorable, especially on rainy or cold days.

Curious to see whether these policies are making a real difference and what they might mean for someone like me — a single woman in her late 20s who has no children and is still unsure whether motherhood is in the cards — I checked out one of these city-run kids cafes on a recent Friday.

A child and a father play at a city-run kids cafe in Seongbuk District, northern Seoul, on Feb. 9. [NEWS1]

A city-run playground

Seoul’s fertility rate of 0.58 was the lowest among Korea’s 17 major cities and provinces last year. That was the figure's first uptick in nine years, according to the city government and Statistics Korea — it had been declining since 2015.

Enter kids cafes, which are pay-to-enter indoor playgrounds equipped with slides, ball pits and other play structures. In recent years, they have become a go-to place for parents to relax while keeping their little ones entertained. Private kids cafes have existed since the early 2000s, but Seoul began running them in May 2022 as part of a broader initiative to combat its alarmingly low birthrate.

There are now 137 government-run kids cafes across Seoul, with the city aiming to expand the figure to 200 by the end of this year. Expanding care services, such as city-run kids cafes, is three times more effective at raising birthrates than direct child care subsidies, the Korea Institute of Local Finance found in a 2023 report. Lack of child care facilities was the second most commonly cited concern, after economic issues, among 2,768 respondents to a survey the Korea Health Promotion Institute conducted last August.

A small play area outside a city-run kids cafe in Daebang-dong, Dongjak District, southern Seoul, is seen decorated on May 2. [PARK SANG-MOON]

The Daebang-dong branch, the first one operated by the city itself — most are run by district offices — is inside Seoul Family Plaza, a building dedicated to child care and family welfare. The plaza includes rest areas for parents and is connected to Daebang Station on subway line No. 1. It operates two-hour sessions at 9:40 a.m., 1:20 p.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends. It is open to Seoul residents, regardless of citizenship, and has also been available to employees of companies based in the capital since April.

Despite it being a weekday, the 387-square-meter (4,165-square-foot) Dongjak playground's second session of the day, running from 1:20 p.m. to 3:20 p.m., was fully booked with 33 children and their guardians. Schools and kindergartens had designated the day off because it fell between Labor Day on May 1 and the weekend, some parents said.

Though walk-ins are available if space permits, every child and guardian who showed up for the session had booked a spot in advance through the city’s online portal. This is a unique feature of city-run kids cafes, as private ones typically do not require booking specific time slots in advance.

Although it officially kicked off at 1:20 p.m., the doors opened at 1 p.m., giving early arrivals time to unwind.

Staff members welcomed children one by one as they arrived, hand-in-hand with their parents, gently reminding everyone to take off their shoes before heading inside.

The slides were wide enough for parents to slide down with their little ones, and many did, laughing as they landed together in soft pits. The facility incorporates Seoul-themed play structures, including a climbable tower resembling Namsan Tower and cable cars.

Tucked behind the play structure, a quieter group had gathered for a drawing session, deeply focused with crayons in hand. Others scanned wristbands on a digital board, participating in a game in which they earned points and used them to virtually decorate a digital landscape.

And contrary to what I'd expected, most parents weren’t just supervising from the sidelines, but were actively joining in. One mother excitedly asked her son if they should try the slide together, then dashed off toward it. Others trailed behind their children, keeping a watchful eye to make sure they were safe, while a few took the chance to relax in nearby chairs.

Children slide down slides at a city-run kids cafe in Daebang-dong, Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on May 2. [PARK SANG-MOON]

“Unlike private ones, city-run kids cafes limit the number of people per session, which I appreciate,” the mother of a 6-year-old said, adding that private indoor playgrounds are usually more crowded. The facility’s decision to limit the number of visitors made sense; the space wasn’t large enough to comfortably accommodate too many parents, staff and older children all at once. Without a cap, the room clearly would have been overcrowded, raising clear concerns about safety.

The extra space is exactly the facility's intention, according to Cho Hye-eun, head of the Daebang-dong kids cafe.

“The place is typically full, with about 30 children here on weekends,” Cho said.

Each session is typically staffed with two safety guards and two child care workers. Kids born between 2015 and 2021 are allowed, which is an older age range than you'll find at other branches, which generally accept children from infancy up to age 6.

A child climbs up a ladder resembling Mount Namsan's cable car at a city-run kids cafe in Daebang-dong, Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on May 2. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Open to all

The major factor differentiating government-run kids cafes from their private competitors, in addition to their lack of crowds, is their low price.

Admission for children costs 5,000 won ($3.6) per two-hour session. Parents can enter for free; children who enter unaccompanied must pay an additional 2,000 won to be supervised by on-site supervisors, who wear light green vests. One boy in a light green vest was closely followed by a supervisor the entire time during my visit: The staff member cheered him on as he attempted the slide and enthusiastically offered suggestions for what to try next.

This is more affordable than many private kids cafes. Admission to one private facility in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, is 26,000 won per child, with additional charge of 6,000 won for each accompanying guardian, according to the cafe's website.

Seoul's first city-run kids cafe [YUN YOUNG]

Families including two or more children, single parents, recipients of national basic livelihood assistance, national merit honorees and disabled children can also enter free of charge. According to Cho, about 70 percent of the children who use the facility come from families that fall into one of those exempt categories.

Cho particularly hopes that disabled children who have difficulty locating inclusive play environments enjoy the space.

Cho also estimates that around five children of foreign residents visit per month, despite the fact that the city government's website is only available in Korean.

Defying common stereotypes of city-run facilities, the Daebang-dong kids cafe was clean and well-maintained on Friday. Shattering my own outdated assumptions about city-run children’s facilities being dim, outdated and neglected, this one felt freshly opened. It looked even cleaner and better maintained than what I had imagined from private kids cafes. While the play options were fewer in variety, the space was still inviting enough for children and parents to enjoy quality time together.

All children and guardians were also strictly required to wear socks due to the slippery cushiony floors, a policy that is often inconsistently enforced at private venues.

A child climbs a structure resembling Namsan Tower at a city-run kids cafe in Daebang-dong, Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on May 2. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Public indoor playgrounds like this aren't limited to Seoul: They're attempting to raise birthrates in cities across Korea, including Busan and Daegu. More than 650,000 residents had used them as of March, according to a city official.

While these spaces alone may not fully fix Korea’s demographic challenges, parents and children genuinely enjoying time together felt like a step in the right direction.

About an hour into what had initially felt like an unfamiliar scene for someone far removed from parenthood, my awkwardness melted away as I watched a father smiling and filming his small young daughter, who proudly called him out as she climbed a playground ladder.

In that moment, I quietly thought that perhaps with the right support, child care doesn’t have to feel so daunting. Maybe it isn't something to fear after all.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]