Seoul's Seodaemun District announced Thursday that it has begun full-scale construction of the "Seoul-Style Kids Cafe Hongje Falls Branch," with a completion target set for the first half of this year.
The district is remodeling the existing District Office Annex 1 building (262-20 Yeonhui-ro) into a public indoor play facility where children can play freely regardless of external conditions such as fine dust, heat waves, or cold snaps.
The facility is located at a waterfront site offering direct views of Hongje Stream and Seodaemun Hongje Falls, allowing visitors to enjoy natural scenery within the city. It is particularly notable as the first project combining Hongje Stream, Seoul's first "Seoul-Style Waterfront Emotional City" project site, with a Seoul-Style Kids Cafe.
The kids cafe, designed under the concept "Playing at the Falls," will span the first and second floors with a total area of 516.25 square meters. The interior will feature Hongje Falls-themed attractions including a trampoline area with waterfall views, a climbing space designed to simulate ascending the falls, and an immersive interactive media playroom.
With the nearby "Cafe Falls" and "Hongje Falls Cultural Complex" already drawing strong response from residents and tourists, the completion of the kids cafe is expected to establish the Hongje area as a family-oriented multi-cultural space.
"The Kids Cafe Hongje Falls Branch is a key project in creating a 'Seodaemun Where Children Are Happy,'" District Mayor Lee Seong-heon said. "Once this facility joins the existing Cafe Falls and Cultural Complex, the puzzle of 'Seodaemun Happiness Square,' where everyone's happiness resides, will be complete."
"I am grateful for Seoul Metropolitan Government's full support, and we will create a space where children and families can feel 300% happiness," he added.