Gwangmyeong City to Fully Open School Parking Lots and Gymnasiums to the Public

Free Parking at Gwangmyeongbuk Middle School
Gwangmyeongbuk Elementary and Gwangmyeong Elementary Gymnasiums
Also Opened for Community Sports Activities

Gwangmyeong City in Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Park Seungwon, will open up unused school parking lots and gymnasiums to the public in an effort to alleviate parking shortages and expand spaces for community sports activities.

Park Seungwon, mayor of Gwangmyeong City, is attending the '2026 School Facility Opening Memorandum of Understanding' held on the 11th at Gyeonggi-do Gwangmyeong Office of Education and is taking a commemorative photo. From the left: Kim Myungsun, superintendent of Gwangmyeong Office of Education, Ha Ilkwon, principal of Gwangmyeong Elementary School, Park Jongbun, principal of Gwangmyeongbuk Middle School, Jang Iryoung, principal of Gwangmyeongbuk Elementary School, Park Seungwon, mayor of Gwangmyeong City. Provided by Gwangmyeong City.

On September 11, Gwangmyeong City announced that it had signed a work agreement for opening up school spaces at the Gwangmyeong Education Support Office, with officials from the Education Support Office, Gwangmyeongbuk Middle School, Gwangmyeongbuk Elementary School, and Gwangmyeong Elementary School in attendance.

Under the agreement, Gwangmyeongbuk Middle School will open its annexed parking lot to citizens free of charge during hours when it does not interfere with educational activities. The intention is to improve parking convenience for residents and visitors by utilizing idle parking spaces without securing additional land or budget allocations and to reduce illegal parking around schools, thereby creating a safer pedestrian environment.

Gwangmyeongbuk Elementary School and Gwangmyeong Elementary School will open their multipurpose gymnasiums to citizens on weekday evenings and weekends when there are no regular classes. Citizens can enjoy community sports at nearby schools after making a reservation in advance.

Since 2019, Gwangmyeong City has supported the payment of public utility charges and facility maintenance costs to lessen the burden on schools for opening their facilities. In 2023, the city became the first nationwide to assign cleaning staff, and since 2024, it has also supported the enrollment of sports facility liability insurance.

Currently, 39 schools in the Gwangmyeong area have opened their gymnasiums. Out of 42 schools with gymnasiums, 92.9% are participating in this program. The status of each school's facility openings can be checked on the Gwangmyeong City website.

Mayor Park Seungwon stated, "We will actively support the use of idle spaces to alleviate the burdens on schools and the Education Support Office while enhancing convenience for citizens," adding, "We will continue to expand space sharing in a way that reflects various needs in the community."

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