Seocho-gu opens 100th district-run nursery, joining small club of Seoul districts

Seocho-gu has become one of only four Seoul districts to operate 100 district-run nurseries, marking a milestone in the district's long-running push to expand publicly funded child care.

The district opened two new facilities — Diechi Bangbae Eum Nursery and Byeolmaru Nursery — inside the Diechi Bangbae apartment complex, a reconstruction development in the Bangbae 5 zone.

An opening ceremony was held Friday, attended by Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su, National Assembly member Shin Dong-wook of Seocho-eul, Seocho District Council Speaker Yoo Ji-woong, Seoul Metropolitan Assembly member Ko Gwang-min, and residents of the apartment complex, who toured the newly built child care facilities.

In addition to the two nurseries, three other district-run facilities opened that day: the Bangbae Child-Rearing Support Center, the second Bangbae 2-dong branch of Seoripul Nori School, and the Bangbae 2-dong Elementary After-School Care Center — bringing the total to five new district facilities.

The opening brings Seocho-gu's total district-run nurseries to 100. The district's public child care history dates to 1988, when Namtaeryeong nursery first opened. After reaching 50 district-run nurseries in 2017, the district has now doubled that figure in roughly nine years.

The 100th facility, Diechi Bangbae Eum Nursery, was named to reflect the values of public child care that Seocho-gu has built over the decades and to serve as a warm space connecting children with the wider world. The 101st facility, Byeolmaru Nursery, opened alongside it to meet growing child care demand in the Bangbae 5 zone.

To mark the milestone, the district produced a white tiger plush toy — a symbol of courage and strength — intended to represent a guardian watching over Seocho-gu's children. The toys were presented at the opening ceremony.

Public child care usage is also on the rise. As of September, 64.4 percent of children in Seocho-gu were enrolled in public or national nurseries, the second-highest rate among Seoul's autonomous districts. The share of public and national nurseries among all nurseries in the district has now risen to 62.7 percent following the latest openings.

Seocho-gu said it plans to continue expanding public and national nurseries and improving child care services to give families with young children a broader range of care options.

"Reaching 100 district-run nurseries is the fruit of our consistent efforts to make Seocho a great place to raise children," District Mayor Jeon said. "The Bangbae 5 zone in particular has a high concentration of families with multiple children and newlyweds, so demand for child care is strong. We will continue to build a child care environment where parents can leave their children with peace of mind, including by expanding home-style public nurseries."