Two public parks in Jongno -- Jongmyo and Tapgol -- will turn into special zones for the elderly by offering a variety of welfare facilities and cultural activities, Seoul City said Monday.

The two parks are frequented by senior citizens to rest, meet friends and have a meal at a soup kitchen in the neighborhood.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would inject 60 million won ($51,000) over the next four months to build more facilities and programs for the senior citizens. Public and private facilities in Jongno-gu will also jointly participate in this project.

“Despite high popularity of the parks, there is a lack of entertainment or leisure facilities for elders to freely spend time here,” said an official.

The SMG said that it will first conduct a survey to collect the elderly’s opinions through neighboring senior centers. Questionnaires will include when they tend to visit the park, where they spend the most time inside the park and difficulties in using the park.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)