Hanam Opens First Public Park Golf Course After Overcoming 7 Years of Regulatory Hurdles

18-Hole Course Built at Dangjeong Neighborhood Park
Plans to Expand to 72 Holes, Including Seondong and Gyeosan

Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, led by Mayor Lee Hyunjae, has overcome more than seven years of regulatory hurdles and opened its first public park golf course. The city plans to expand the number of park golf holes in the area to a total of 72, starting with this opening.

Lee Hyunjae, mayor of Hanam, and other attendees hold an opening ceremony for a park golf course at Dangjeong Neighborhood Park in Misa-dong on the 21st. Provided by Hanam City.

On October 21, Hanam City held an opening ceremony for the park golf course at Dangjeong Neighborhood Park in Misa-dong. About 300 people attended, including Mayor Lee Hyunjae, City Council Chair Jeong Byeong-yong, sports officials and residents.

The 18-hole course was built on a site of approximately 14,000 square meters near 39 Misa-dong, at a cost of KRW 1.6 billion. To ease parking congestion and traffic inconvenience for nearby residents, the city also plans to complete by the end of 2026 a connecting passage linking the golf course to the parking lot at Misa Regatta Park. The passage will be 140 meters long and 2.4 meters wide.

The development process was not smooth. The city had initially planned to build a 36-hole course on a 45,620-square-meter site near 615-1 Misa-dong, beneath the Misa Bridge. However, the project fell through after it was blocked by restrictions on river occupation upstream of a water intake facility. After searching for an alternative site, the city relocated the project to Dangjeong Neighborhood Park.

Restrictions on installing facilities within a development-restricted area continued to pose an obstacle. In November 2024, the city proposed institutional improvements through the Office for Government Policy Coordination's Regulatory Reform Sinmungo. As a result, park golf courses were recognized as community sports facilities similar to gateball courts, allowing them to be built within development-restricted areas.

The city is also pursuing additional projects. A 36-hole park golf course planned for the Seondong riverside received a river occupation permit from the Han River Basin Environmental Office in August 2026, and subsequent administrative procedures are underway. The city has also incorporated plans for an 18-hole course into the basic design for a sports park above the environmental infrastructure facilities in Gyeosan New Town.

Deokpung Sports and Culture Center and Wirye Complex Sports Center operate indoor screen park golf facilities that people can use regardless of the weather or season.

The Dangjeong Neighborhood Park park golf course is operated by Hanam Urban Corporation and will be run on a free trial basis through December 31, 2026. During the summer, it is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the winter season, from November through February, it is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The course is closed every Monday.

Hanam Mayor Lee Hyun-jae and other attendees hold an opening ceremony for the park golf course at Dangjeong Neighborhood Park in Misadong on the 21st. Photo courtesy of Hanam City.

Reservations are accepted monthly through the Hanam Urban Corporation website, with a priority booking period for Hanam residents.

Mayor Lee Hyunjae said, "It is meaningful that we have overcome years of regulatory challenges and made residents' wishes a reality. We will gradually expand our park golf facilities to a total of 72 holes and strengthen the foundation for community sports so that everyone can enjoy healthy leisure activities close to home."

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