Park Wansu Pledges World-Class "Gyeongnam-Style Children's Playground" ... Nature-Friendly "Mongle Mongle Forest"

Park Wansu, the preliminary candidate for Gyeongnam Province governor from the People Power Party, has pledged to establish “Gyeongnam-style children’s playgrounds” of a world-class standard ahead of Children’s Day.

On May 4, Suh Misook, spokesperson for candidate Park Wansu, held a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Press Center to announce a campaign promise to create a playground tentatively named “Mongle Mongle Forest.”

Suh Misook, spokesperson for Park Wansu, candidate for governor of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing a campaign pledge to create Gyeongnam-style children's playgrounds.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Spokesperson Suh explained, “‘Mongle Mongle’ is a name created by combining the Chinese character ‘mong’ (夢), which means ‘dream,’ and ‘waglwagle,’ a Korean onomatopoeia representing children laughing, chatting, and playing. The name reflects our hope that children in Gyeongnam will be able to play freely in nature and nurture their dreams.”

She added that this promise addresses the lack of sufficient infrastructure—such as play facilities, cultural spaces, and family leisure amenities—that children and parents can enjoy together. It also responds to the growing demand for child- and family-friendly spaces in line with the spread of “work-life balance,” reduced working hours, and an increasing desire for parents and children to spend quality time together.

The “Mongle Mongle Forest” will be developed as a nature-friendly playground, actively utilizing natural elements such as trees, rocks, water, and soil.

It will also be operated as a multi-purpose family complex space, enabling family picnics, joint parenting, and parent community activities.

Additionally, it will be themed to reflect Gyeongnam’s natural environments and future industries, including Jirisan Forest, the southern coastal marine ecosystem, robotics, and aerospace.

Through this, the plan is to allow children to explore, challenge themselves, and create their own play experiences in nature, while also encountering Gyeongnam’s nature, industries, and future through play.

Furthermore, the playground is designed to provide children with the joy of play and give parents opportunities for relaxation and social interaction.

The design of the children’s playgrounds will incorporate feedback from actual users—including children, parents, and local residents.

By involving real users directly in the design process, the aim is to create playgrounds that children will want to visit repeatedly. Consultations and collaborations with domestic and international experts will be sought to enhance the quality of the play spaces.

Valbyparken, a representative natural playground in Copenhagen, Denmark.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Province]

Park Wansu, the current governor of Gyeongnam Province and candidate, visited Valbyparken, a representative natural playground in Copenhagen, Denmark, during his visit to three European countries in June last year.

Valbyparken, regarded as a leading example of natural playground design, was developed by utilizing part of an urban natural park.

It is characterized by its use of natural materials such as trees, stones, water, and sand, fostering children’s creativity and adventurous spirit, and by actively reflecting local residents’ opinions from the design stage onward.

During his overseas trip, candidate Park planned to use this as a reference for developing a Gyeongnam-style natural playground model and to expand it throughout the province.

Spokesperson Suh said, “Since the 8th popularly elected administration, Governor Park has been preparing this promise by listening to voices on the ground through meetings with residents. We will create the largest, world-class nature-friendly playground in Korea.”

She continued, “The 2026 initial budget includes funds for establishing the basic plan and conducting a feasibility study for the Gyeongnam-style children’s playground. Once the 9th popularly elected administration begins, we can immediately proceed in earnest.”

She also stated, “The creation of the Gyeongnam Mongle Mongle Forest is a project to build a space where children can run and laugh freely, and where their laughter will echo throughout Gyeongnam. We will make sure to realize this promise to create a Gyeongnam where each and every child can play healthily and families can laugh together.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.