Yongin Opens 16th '24-Hour Smart Library' at Jukjeon Sports Park

Yongin City Opens Smart Library, Bringing Its Total to 16 - the Most in Gyeonggi Province

More Than 200 Books, Including New Releases; Borrow Up to 3 Books for 14 Days

Mayor Lee Sangil: “We’ll Continue Expanding Libraries to Meet Strong Demand for Reading”

Yongin Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sangil), has opened its 16th Smart Library branch at Jukjeon Sports Park in Suji-gu, where people can borrow and return books 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sang-il delivers remarks at the opening ceremony for the 16th Smart Library at Jukjeon Sports Park on the 26th. Photo provided by Yongin City.

Yongin City said it held an opening ceremony on October 26 at the entrance to Jukjeon Sports Park, next to the Jukjeon 1-dong Administrative Welfare Center, and that the library would begin operating on October 27. About 60 people, including Mayor Lee Sangil, City Council Chair Jang Jeong-sun, and local residents, attended the ceremony. Lee personally tried borrowing and returning a book to check whether visitors would encounter any difficulties using the facility.

The city invested 81 million won to install an automated book-borrowing and return facility stocked with about 200 books, including new releases, popular titles, and children's books. Any Gyeonggi Province resident with a Yongin City Library membership card can borrow up to three books for 14 days. Those without a membership card can obtain a digital membership card on their mobile phone through the Yongin City Library website.

The library also offers an interlibrary loan service, allowing users to receive books held at other libraries.

“The adult reading rate among Yongin residents is 54.2%, far above the national average of 38.5%, and Suji Library ranked first nationwide in public library book loans for two consecutive years,” Mayor Lee Sangil said. “To meet residents' strong enthusiasm for reading, we will continue to expand public libraries and Smart Libraries.”

He added, “With the opening of the Jukjeon Sports Park Smart Library, we now operate 16 locations, the most in Gyeonggi Province. We plan to add one more in Yangji-eup by the end of this year.”

Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sangil joins attendees in the unveiling ceremony at the opening of Smart Library No. 16 at Jukjeon Sports Park on the 26th. Provided by Yongin City.

He continued, “We are also continuing to build new public libraries and improve existing facilities, including the opening of Sinbong Library at the end of this year. I hope residents will make frequent use of nearby Smart Libraries and the interlibrary loan service, and enrich their lives through reading.”

Yongin City has expanded its Smart Library facilities in residential areas since installing its first branch at Giheung Station in 2016. With this opening, the city now operates 16 locations: five in Cheoin-gu, six in Giheung-gu, and five in Suji-gu.

In Cheoin-gu, facilities are located at City Hall, Jungang Market Station, Yurim-dong Yubang Children's Park, and the administrative welfare centers in Yeokbuk-dong and Wonsam-myeon. In Giheung-gu, they are located at Giheung Station and the administrative welfare centers in Bojeong, Giheung, Sanggal, Mabuk, and Sangha-dong. In Suji-gu, they are available at Jukjeon and Seongbok stations, the administrative welfare centers in Sinbong and Dongcheon-dong, and Jukjeon Sports Park.

Demand for the service is also growing. Last year, 25,465 people used the Smart Libraries, an increase of about 16% from 2024. During the same period, book loans rose by about 15%, from approximately 39,000 to approximately 45,000.

Public library use is also strong. According to the city, the 21 municipal public libraries recorded 5,913,656 book loans last year, ranking first in Gyeonggi Province. Suji Library ranked first nationwide in public library book loans in both 2024 and 2025, and 10 Yongin public libraries placed among the top 100 nationwide.

Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sangil demonstrates borrowing and returning books at the opening ceremony for the 16th Smart Library branch at Jukjeon Sports Park on the 26th, checking whether visitors will have any difficulty using the facility. Yongin City’s...

Yongin City plans to open Sinbong Library in December this year, followed by Eunhwasam Library in 2027 and Wonsam Library in 2028. The city plans to complete improvements to Jukjeon Library in 2027 and Dongbaek Library by 2029.

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