Seoul Set to Open New Pickleball Courts as Part of ‘Healthy City’ Initiative – Pickleball News Asia

“Basic facilities on a site of about 4,000㎡ (1,210 pyeong) are in the final stage. We are proceeding with construction, aiming to open in March next year,” said an official of the Future Han River Headquarters in charge of building the facility.

The area being turned into an outdoor pickleball facility, according to the Seoul city government, was formerly a football pitch. However, the field was rarely used, so the city decided to repurpose it into a pickleball facility to cater to South Korea’s steadily growing pickleball community.

At the moment, there are only eight public pickleball courts in Seoul—four in the Gangdong District reservoir and four at Seoul Forest. That number will rise to 22 when the Gwangnaru Hangang Park pickleball courts along the Han River open in March. The courts can be rented for 8,000 won for two hours, which is roughly the same rate as tennis courts in the city. This is sure to be great news for pickleball enthusiasts in Seoul, as rental fees for public courts are a source of frustration because they usually reach between 20,000 and 30,000 won.

Mayor Oh’s decision to give the go-ahead to building pickleball courts is not a surprise. He and the rest of the city government have been looking to promote recreational sports that residents, regardless of gender, age, and athletic ability, can take up and enjoy as part of the Healthier Seoul 9988 policy Oh has been pushing.

Pickleball, known for being inclusive and easy to learn, naturally fits the bill, and now the residents of Seoul who have taken up the sport can look forward to more public courts early next year.