REOPENING OF KINTEX CAMPSITE

[Anchor Lead]

A campsite at the KINTEX exhibition hall in Goyang has reopened after being used as a COVID-19 treatment facility for the past 2 years. The location being close to Seoul, the campsite has always been popular. But now, making a reservation is said to be nothing less than a war.

[Pkg]

A mother and son are putting up a tent. The eldest who returned from school is the first, along with his mother, to arrive at the camping ground. This is only possible because it’s a campsite within a bustling city.

[Soundbite] Seo Ji-hyeon(Goyang Resident) : "I visited private campsites during social distancing period but they have become expensive in recent days. I’m so happy the KINTEX camp has reopened."

The campsite opened in 2016 on a 40-thousand square meter site which was meant for another exhibition hall at the Korea International Exhibition Center or KINTEX in short. Visited by some 67-thousand people a year, the site was hugely popular thanks to its accessibility and low user fees. However over the past 2 years, the camp shut down as the site was used for COVID-19 response. The KINTEX camp houses 36 caravans, 25 vehicle camping and 15 ordinary camp sites. There’s also a 30% discount offered to Goyang citizens. Online reservations open on the 10th of each month for the following month’s openings. In the case of June, all slots for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays sold out in 5 minutes.

[Soundbite] Kim Un-rae(Goyang Urban Management Corp.) : "It’s wonderful to see citizens come out and enjoy the facilities. We hope many more can use them."

The camp site was once the home of healthcare workers dressed in protective suits battling the pandemic but now it has returned to the public for their relaxation and recreation.