![Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate, tours the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show at Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on May 1. [Photo=Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/05/05/20260505102600279567.jpg)
Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate, said Tuesday he would double the number of Seoul-style kids cafes and build a new public job-experience theme park called “Seoul Children’s Imagination Land.”
Oh announced the plan, billed as “Happy Kids City Seoul,” at the Green Green Kids Cafe inside the Seoul International Garden Show at Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu on Children’s Day.
Oh’s campaign said the pledge aims to redesign the city from children’s perspective while easing parents’ caregiving burden. It also seeks to expand hands-on play facilities across Seoul so children can access them regardless of where they live.
The Seoul-style kids cafes — promoted as a budget-friendly option — would expand to 404 locations by 2030, about double the current number. The cafes charge up to 5,000 won per child for two hours, with accompanying parents admitted free. Since the first location opened in May 2022, cumulative users topped 1 million in three years, the campaign said.
Oh also pledged to set up at least one infant-only kids cafe in each district and introduce “Green Green Kids Cafes” in all districts, linking them with forests and the Han River. On weekends, the city would operate 30 mobile playground sites under the “Here and There Kids Cafe” program, he said.
Oh said the city would also create “Seoul Children’s Imagination Land” at eight hubs across Seoul, including Gangbuk, Seongbuk and Gangseo, offering career exploration and creative activities at fees far lower than private facilities.
To reduce families’ private tutoring costs for arts education, he pledged to launch the “Children’s Arts Seed” program, providing eight months of practical training — including vocal music, instrumental music, theater and dance — for students in grades 3 through 6.
“Investing in children’s happiness is the surest way to design Seoul’s future,” Oh said. “Building on the changes already underway in Seoul, I will decisively complete an environment where parents can feel secure and children can run and play to their hearts’ content.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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