ARMY BASE CHANGED TO CHILDREN’S GARDEN

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Part of the Yongsan Base, which was a 'forbidden land' for Korean citizens for about 120 years under Japanese and U.S. military control, will be opened as a children's garden starting May 4th. On the occasion of the president's first anniversary in office, the Presidential Office has named the park 'Yongsan Children's Garden' and announced plans to hold various events to expand communication.

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The Yongsan Base in Seoul was where U.S. forces were stationed after Japan withdrew its military, which had occupied the same place since 1904. The vast plot of land in central Seoul that has been closed to the public for more than 100 years will gain a new identity as a park. Roughly 300,000 square meters out of the total area will be opened to the public as the Yongsan Children's Garden on May 4th. Yongsan base was returned to Korea last year. The exterior of the housings for American military officers will remain as they are while the inside was remodeled into a publicity center and a small library. Four baseball fields were combined to create a 60,000 square meter lawn rarely seen in the city center. The President's office building is visible from the lawn. Yongsan park was slated to open first after a year-long preparation ahead of the official opening. In marking the first anniversary of President's Yoon's inauguration, the top office said that his promise to be closer to the people was honored. Yoon, who got to check out the Yongsan Children's Garden earlier, expressed hopes that the park would become a place for the public.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk Yeol(President) : "I hope that children will play on the lawn. We plan to build a water fountain park so that children can come and play here in summer just like the fountain plaza in front of the City Hall."

The Presidential office also said that a new layer of earth was added to prevent contact with the existing soil given the nature of the site to alleviate safety concerns. Indoor and outdoor air quality will be monitored regularly and the results will be released to the public. The Yongsan Children's Garden opens from Tuesday to Sunday for visitors who made reservations through the park's website.