May is the family month in Korea. Starting with Workers’ Day on May 1st, a series of celebratory days, which include Parents’ Day and Teachers’ Day, culminates in Children’s Day on May 5th. Just a couple of days to go until the most celebrated and anticipated day in May, we take you to Seoul Children’s Grand Park where not only children but the entire family can have fun.

-We came because the weather’s nice. My children like it a lot here. They’re excited to try out the rides. Coming here was worth it.
- The eyes of cheetahs and jaguars were scary, but it was exciting to see the animals up close. I had so much fun today!
-It was really fun today. I feel great!

Opened on May 5th, Children’s Day, in 1973, Seoul Children’s Grand Park in the eastern part of Seoul features a lush forest, a zoo and an arboretum, an amusement, and even a traffic safety experience hall on its nearly 600 thousand square meters of land. Being so vast, the park has four entrances. Exiting through the Children’s Grand Park Station on subway line number seven would take you to the front entrance, while getting off subway line number five at Acha-san Station is closer to the rear entrance. The site used to house the tomb of Queen Sunmyeong, the wife of the Korean Empire’s last emperor Sunjong. When Emperor Sunjong passed away in 1926, her tomb was moved to Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province, leaving the site available for the park. Here’s the park director Heo Si-gang to tell us more about it.

Seoul Children’s Grand Park was opened on May 5th, 1973. At the time the Korean economy was still not quite sound, but then-President Park Jung-hee wanted to give hope to children, so the park was opened to enrich Korean children’s dreams. The entire area is about 600 thousand square feet and facilities account for 40% of the site. Trees and other greenery take up 53% and the rest is grass area.

More than 60% of the park is covered in trees and green grass, giving children ample room to run and play. Now, let’s get started on the tour of Seoul Children’s Grand Park.

Visitors entering through the front gate are greeted by a music fountain. Streams of water shoot up from a round fountain and dance to the music. During daytime the water sparkles against the sunlight to create a colorful rainbow and at night the water combines with flashy lights and music to create a fantastic atmosphere.


- The water fountain is spectacular. It’s refreshing and fantastic.
- The warm weather and the cool water from the fountain made everything great. Music made it even better. My children liked it a lot.

The first stop is the zoo. Some four thousand animals live in the zoo located inside the Children’s Grand Park. Children especially love the petting zoo where children are allowed to feed and get close to the animals. Here’s veterinarian Jo Gyeong-wook.

The petting zoo is operated all year round. It’s called “eoru madang” in Korean, which is derived from “eorumanjida” which means caressing and touching. Our programs start at 1:30 with the elephant feeding session, followed by the predator feeding session, petting sea creatures, and photo ops with various animals. Children can experience just about everything related to animals here at the petting zoo.

The first animal that greets the visitors is the elephant. The gentle giant delights the audience with its long trunk.

The female elephant named Cansuni is very dexterous with its trunk. She catches bananas and apples with ease, delighting both children and adults alike.

- The elephant was really big and it was amazing to see her catch all her food with its trunk.
- My son loved seeing an elephant for real. I felt like I was little again, just like my son.

Once past the elephant, predators await. Tigers and lions bare their sharp teeth as they snatch up the chickens tossed by the zookeepers.

Some children can’t bear to look at the all-too-real gore, but to some this up-close-and-personal look at the ferocious animals is more fascinating than any video game. Next on the tour is the marine animal house, home to polar bears, seals, and walruses. Expansive acrylic-paned windows were put up during the last renovation, allowing a non-obstructive view into the amazing underwater world of sea animals. Here’s veterinarian Dr. Jo Gyeong-wook again.

Visitors can see polar bears in the aquarium as well. This is the only structure like this in Korea. There are only five polar bears in Korea and two of them reside in the Children’s Grand Park. The polar bears are an internationally recognized endangered species and we provide the optimal living environment for them here.

For an animal with such a bulk, the polar bear is surprisingly agile and graceful underwater. Visitors coo as the bears frolic in the water and shade their eyes against the bright summer sunlight with their massive paws. Children seem to be almost hypnotized by the bears’ charming antics. Meanwhile, the doors to the tropical animal house are opened to the public on weekends. The yellow anaconda, crocodiles, and other tropical creatures call this place home.

- We keep a python in the tropical animal house, which is opened to the public only on Saturdays and Sundays to spare the animals of overexposure and stress. Even during the weekend only 50 families are allowed admission. They are the lucky ones who get to drape the Burmese python over their necks and take photos.
-It’s more slippery than I thought. The python was smaller than I imagined, but once I touched it, I found it to be thicker and heavier. It was really fun.

Now it’s time to enjoy the great outdoors. More than half its area covered in grass and trees, Seoul Children’s Grand park is being transformed into an eco-friendly energy park. During last year’s renovation, Seoul’s only hothouse arboretum, where 6,600 samples from 309 botanical species, are kept was converted into a solar-and-geothermal-powered conservatory. Solar panels cover the roof and the inside temperature is kept at a constant 20 degrees using geothermal heat. These eco-friendly efforts slashed nearly 80% of the facility’s annual energy cost. There is no place better than the plant house to educate children about the importance of environmental protection. Another tour stop that can teach children about environment is the Fairyland, a folk tale village. Here’s Ms. Joo Hye-jeong to explain more about the Fairyland.

The Fairyland is educational for children. The folk tale village features some scenes from Korean traditional folktales like “The Heavenly Maiden and the Woodcutter” and “Heungbu and Nolbu.” These stories are told by our professional storytellers, just like any grandmother would for her grandchildren. It’s a very lively and vivid way to tell a story.

The Fairyland is located next to the ecological pond and features on its 1,500 square-meter site twelve major scenes from Korean folktales. Big fairytale books are placed next to the structures to allow children to read about the scenes. Visitors can absorb nature’s abundant energy at the barefoot park, where people can take off their shoes and feel the earth directly through their feet.

Excitement and fun are indispensable part of Seoul Children’s Grand Park.

At the backward playground everything is placed backward, giving children a different view on the world. Then, there are the amusement park, the water playground, and the soccer field to make the outing more exciting for children. After expending their energy at the amusement park, young visitors get a cultural break at Culture Land with some beloved Korean cartoon characters.

World-famous Pororo penguin, little dinosaur Dooly, the Rocket Boy, Mashimaro, and some 200 other cartoon characters created right here in Korean are introduced at Character World.

Character World is children’s favorite, because it also features animation shows as well. Adults, who can take only so much of cartoon characters, can enjoy more mature form of culture at the outdoor concert hall on weekend afternoons. A music concert performed against the backdrop of lovely cherry blossoms is a perfect way to bring the day to a close.

The 8,000-seat outdoor concert hall is the nation’s first eco-friendly outdoor performance venue. The roof is shaped like a magpie in flight and the whole venue is on the par with the world-renowned Waldbuhne of Germany. As the music floats by, visitors leisurely look back on the day spent with their children at Seoul Children’s Grand Park.

- It’s my first time here at the Children’s Grand Park. It’s nicer than I imagined. The spring flowers are lovely and it’s a great destination for a spring outing.
- My favorite part was eating picnic lunch with my children. They liked feeding the animals and the fish at the zoo and the aquarium. I liked looking at all the flowers and the trees. The park made me feel like I was in the woods.

This urban park is visited by some 13 million people annually. It’s not only a paradise for children, but also a wonderful haven for city-dwelling families. Those who visit Seoul Children’s Grand Park will reawaken the child in them by befriending animals and enjoying nature.