Yongsan-gu Opens New Public Daycare Center 'Kkumnuri'

Seoul's Yongsan-gu opened the Kkumnuri Childcare Center on Tuesday at the Onnuri Youth Cultural Center (358 Ichon-ro) inside Dongbinggo Neighborhood Park.

The opening brings the total number of public childcare centers in Yongsan-gu to 37.

The Seobinggo-dong and Ichon 1-dong areas had long been identified as underserved, with only three public childcare centers despite relatively high demand.

In response, Yongsan-gu partnered with the Onnuri Mission Foundation to convert the first floor of the Onnuri Youth Cultural Center into a public childcare facility, aiming to provide quality childcare services to young children in the area and ease the burden on parents.

The Kkumnuri Childcare Center spans 347.38 square meters and has a capacity of 30 children. Reflecting the area's demand for infant-focused care, the center operates six classes — two for newborns, three for one-year-olds and one for two-year-olds.

The facility also features a spacious indoor playroom where various physical activity programs will be offered to support the gross motor development of infants and toddlers.

The district completed construction of the facility in late May and spent July and August recruiting new enrollees and staff. A total of 27 children have confirmed enrollment.

Yongsan-gu said the opening will strengthen the public childcare foundation in the Seobinggo and Ichon-dong areas and allow the district to better meet local childcare demand on a stable basis.

"Childcare is not just a family matter — it is an important public responsibility that the community must share," Yongsan-gu District Mayor Kim Kyung-dae said. "We will continue to pursue a range of childcare-friendly policies, including expanding public childcare centers, improving facilities and supporting quality childcare programs, to create a happy environment for both children and parents."