Yongsan opens English library for kids combining AI tech, interactive exhibits

Dongbinggo English Library for Children opened Wednesday at Onnuri Youth Center in Dongbinggo Neighborhood Park in central Seoul, offering English books, AI activities and interactive exhibits. The 389.74-square-meter facility provides reading rooms, programs for different reading levels, cultural activities and hands-on exploration. Trial programs are planned throughout November, with the regular schedule beginning in December.

The library includes a children’s reading room, program rooms, a parents’ waiting area, a digital aquarium and interactive content.

About 80 people, including Yongsan District Mayor Kim Gyeong-dae and local residents, attended the opening ceremony.

Be a Talkie! lets children listen to English and practice repeating words and phrases through an AI-based activity.

Monthly book selections, structured reading levels and follow-up activities are intended to support reading habits, comprehension and confidence.

The district plans to offer special lectures for parents featuring experts who can help families support children’s reading at home.

Published Oct 29, 2026 3:29 pm KST

Yongsan District Mayor Kim Gyeong-dae, far left, poses for a photo with guests and children during the opening ceremony for the Dongbinggo English Library for Children in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Yongsan District Office

A new children’s library in central Seoul is pairing English books with artificial intelligence (AI), interactive exhibits and cultural activities in an effort to make language learning feel less like a lesson and more like an adventure.

Yongsan District said Thursday that Dongbinggo English Library for Children opened Wednesday on the first floor of Onnuri Youth Center in Dongbinggo Neighborhood Park, offering children a dedicated space for reading, language development and hands-on learning.

The 389.74-square-meter facility includes a children’s reading room, program rooms and a waiting area for parents, along with a digital aquarium and interactive content designed to extend children’s experiences beyond the pages of books.

About 80 people, including Yongsan District Mayor Kim Gyeong-dae and local residents, attended the opening ceremony, which featured a project briefing, congratulatory remarks, unveiling of the library sign and a tour of the facility.

The library offers English-language books, along with programs tailored to different reading levels and activities intended to build reading habits, comprehension and confidence.

Children can read picture books and take part in follow-up activities, progress through structured reading levels and explore new subjects through monthly book selections.

The program lineup also includes Be a Talkie!, an AI-based activity that lets children listen to English and practice repeating words and phrases.

Other activities introduce children to different cultures and encourage creative projects connected to the books they read, while an exploration program called Dongbinggo Library Explorers invites them to complete missions throughout the facility.

The library will also offer special lectures for parents featuring experts from various fields to help families support children’s reading at home.

The district plans to run trial programs throughout November before beginning its regular schedule in December.

Kim said, “I hope Dongbinggo Children’s English Library will become a place where children encounter new worlds through English books and naturally develop a love of reading.”

He added, “We will continue to work to operate and support the library so that children can experience a wide range of reading and cultural activities.”

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

位于首尔市中心东冰古邻里公园的恩努里青少年中心，东冰古儿童英语图书馆于周三正式开放。图书馆提供英文书籍、人工智能活动和互动展览。这座占地389.74平方米的设施设有阅览室，并针对不同阅读水平的读者提供阅读课程、文化活动和动手探索体验。图书馆计划在11月进行试运营，正式运营将于12月开始。

图书馆内设有儿童阅览室、活动室、家长等候区、数字水族馆和互动内容区。

包括龙山区区长金京大和当地居民在内的约80人参加了开幕式。

“Be a Talkie!”让孩子们通过人工智能活动聆听英语，并练习重复单词和短语。

每月精选书籍、结构化的阅读级别和后续活动旨在培养阅读习惯、理解能力和自信心。

该地区计划为家长举办专题讲座，邀请专家帮助家庭在家辅导孩子阅读。

发布于2026年10月29日下午3:29（韩国标准时间）

周三，在首尔市中心龙山区东冰古儿童英语图书馆开幕仪式上，龙山区区长金京大（左一）与来宾和孩子们合影。图片由龙山区政府提供。

首尔市中心一家新的儿童图书馆将英文书籍与人工智能 (AI)、互动展览和文化活动相结合，旨在让语言学习感觉不像是一堂课，而更像是一次冒险。

龙山区周四表示，东冰口儿童英语图书馆于周三在东冰口邻里公园的Onnuri青少年中心一楼开业，为孩子们提供了一个专门用于阅读、语言发展和实践学习的空间。

该设施占地 389.74 平方米，包括儿童阅览室、活动室和家长等候区，以及数字水族馆和互动内容，旨在将儿童的体验扩展到书页之外。

包括龙山区区长金京大和当地居民在内的约 80 人参加了开幕式，仪式包括项目简报、祝贺致辞、图书馆标志揭幕和设施参观。

图书馆提供英文书籍，以及针对不同阅读水平量身定制的课程和旨在培养阅读习惯、理解力和自信心的活动。

孩子们可以阅读图画书并参加后续活动，通过结构化的阅读级别逐步提升，并通过每月精选书籍探索新主题。

节目阵容还包括“Be a Talkie!”，这是一个基于人工智能的活动，可以让孩子们听英语并练习重复单词和短语。

其他活动向孩子们介绍不同的文化，并鼓励他们进行与所读书籍相关的创意项目，而名为“东冰厝图书馆探险家”的探索计划则邀请他们在整个图书馆内完成任务。

图书馆还将为家长提供特别讲座，邀请各个领域的专家为家长讲解，帮助家庭在家辅导孩子阅读。

该地区计划在整个 11 月开展试行项目，然后在 12 月开始正式实施。

金女士说：“我希望东冰谷儿童英语图书馆能够成为孩子们通过英文书籍接触新世界，并自然而然地培养阅读兴趣的地方。”

他补充道：“我们将继续努力运营和支持图书馆，以便孩子们能够体验各种各样的阅读和文化活动。”

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。