HANAM — The city of Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, has opened its first public park golf course after clearing seven years of overlapping regulatory hurdles. The city said the opening resulted from its persistent push for changes to government rules, and that it will now accelerate plans to expand its park golf facilities to a total of 72 holes.
Hanam held the opening ceremony on the 21st at Dangjeong Neighborhood Park in Misa-dong, with about 300 people attending, including Hanam Mayor Lee Hyun-jae, Hanam City Council Chairman Jung Byung-yong, Hanam Sports Council President Choi Jin-yong, club members and residents.
The 18-hole course was built on a site of about 14,000 square meters near 39 Misa-dong at a total project cost of 1.6 billion won. To improve access for visitors, the city plans to complete a 140-meter walkway linking the parking lot at Misa Boat Racing Park to the course by the end of this year.
The project was originally planned as a 36-hole course beneath Misa Bridge, but it collapsed under rules restricting use of river areas, forcing the city to change the site. It then ran into restrictions on building facilities inside a greenbelt zone. In November 2024, the city petitioned the regulatory complaint channel run by the Office for Government Policy Coordination and won flexibility to have park golf courses recognized as community sports facilities, the same category as gateball courts, allowing the project to proceed to opening.
The city plans to sharply expand its park golf facilities from here. It will move ahead in stages with a 36-hole course on riverside land (duncheon) in Seondong, which has already received a river occupancy permit from the Han River Basin Environmental Office, and an 18-hole course at the sports park in the new town of Gyosan, bringing the city's total to 72 holes. Indoor screen park golf facilities at the Deokpung and Wirye sports centers are also being operated alongside them to allow year-round play.
The Dangjeong Neighborhood Park course is operated under contract by the Hanam Urban Corporation and will run free of charge on a trial basis through the end of December. Reservations can be made on the corporation's website, with Hanam residents given priority booking.
"It is meaningful that we have untangled regulations that were knotted up for so long and delivered on our promise to residents," Mayor Lee said. "We will expand the 72-hole infrastructure without setbacks and significantly broaden healthy leisure activities and participation in community sports for our residents."