Private Campgrounds and Kids Pensions in Gyeonggi Province Operating Without Child Play Equipment Safety Inspections

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Most private campgrounds and kids pensions in Gyeonggi Province have been found to be operating child play equipment without receiving safety certification or installation inspections.

The Gyeonggi Province Audit Office conducted a "special audit on child play facility safety management" from February 27 to March 17 targeting 18,268 child play facilities across 31 cities and counties in the province ahead of May Family Month.

As of February, the number of child play facilities in Gyeonggi Province registered in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Child Play Facility Safety Management System totaled 18,263, comprising 12,490 at residential complexes, 3,049 at urban parks, and 1,846 at childcare centers.

The province conducted a comprehensive survey using this system to verify safety inspection records and check whether facilities had completed safety education and obtained liability insurance.

Additionally, the province conducted on-site inspections on a sample of 150 randomly selected facilities.

According to the audit results, of 20 private campgrounds inspected, 17 were operating auxiliary facilities without having undergone installation and regular facility inspections required under the "Child Play Facility Safety Management Act."

The "Child Play Facility Safety Management Act" requires that certified play equipment be installed when operating campgrounds, and that periodic safety management be carried out, including regular facility inspections, designation and training of safety managers, and liability insurance enrollment.

In particular, when Gyeonggi Province citizen auditors, including construction safety technologists and architectural construction technologists, inspected the campgrounds, unregistered child play facilities that had been used for extended periods without inspection were found to pose significant accident risks.

A slide at a campground in Yongin had a broken base, and safety netting was partially damaged.

A seesaw at a campground in another area was missing its handles, had protruding bolts on the play structure, and had broken plastic safety panels.

Of 739 private campgrounds in the province, only 9 had registered their child play equipment with their respective municipal and county offices. Most campgrounds have been illegally installing and providing play equipment to children.

The audit also confirmed that kids pensions, which have recently been thriving mainly in Gapyeong County and Daebu Island in Ansan, do not fall under the registration requirements of the "Child Play Facility Safety Management Act," and thus are not obligated to obtain safety certification or undergo regular facility inspections, effectively leaving them in a safety blind spot.

The province has issued notifications and warnings to the relevant municipal and county offices regarding ▲neglect in supervision of failed child play facilities ▲neglect in supervision of safety training non-compliance ▲neglect in supervision of uninsured child play facilities ▲omission of safety inspections ▲delay in establishing annual guidance and inspection plans.