LG Uplus announced on the 3rd that they have developed a ‘Mobile Playground’ for children in disaster areas, in collaboration with the Gyeonggi Social Economy Institute and the Children’s Flying Social Cooperative.
The Mobile Playground was designed to address the limitations of previous disaster relief activities, which focused mainly on static support like psychological counseling, and to ensure children’s “right to play” as stipulated in Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The playground is made with a modular design for easy assembly, disassembly, and transport to disaster areas nationwide. Key play tools include an Indian tepee, a rotating swing, and Korean GABE playsets.
The Indian tepees are assembled using bolts and nuts made from acacia wood, with both children and adult volunteers participating. Two adults and four children working together can complete the assembly in approximately two hours. The structure stands about 2.5 meters tall, and a set comprises four tepees, along with additional features like ladders, slides, and ropes for children to play freely.
The rotating swing is constructed by setting a central pole using reclaimed wood, with seats and supports attached. Children hold ropes fixed to the pole to swing back and forth. Up to four children can use the swing simultaneously, and helmets must be worn for safety. The Korean GABE playset consists of wooden blocks representing Korean alphabets, allowing for creative play like assembling puzzles or building block structures.
On the 30th and 31st of last month, the three organizations held a Mobile Playground experience event with about 30 local children at the Seongam Art Hall of the Gyeonggi Creative Campus in Ansan. From the 26th to the 28th, they will conduct a trial run at the Goyang Lake Arts Festival to further verify its feasibility for field deployment. Based on the results, they plan to officially introduce the ‘Mobile Playground’ program to LG Uplus’s disaster relief operations next year.
Joo Lee-kyu, acting president of the Gyeonggi Social Economy Institute, stated, “An open innovation model, where social economy organizations and enterprises collaborate to solve social problems, is showing results in the field. We will continue to actively support the discovery of new projects by social economy organizations to spread exemplary cases of mutual cooperation.”
Lee Myung-seop, head of LG Uplus’s ESG Promotion Team, commented, “We believe it is LG Uplus’s social responsibility to help children maintain hope and return to normalcy even during disaster situations. We will continue to collaborate with various partners to lead the way in creating a brighter world.”