A cultural and sports facility will be built on the site of the 50-year-old Mapo water retention basin public parking lot. [Photo by Reporter Im Yo-hee]

Mapo District (District Mayor Park Kang-soo) will convert the 50-year-old Mangwon and Mapo water retention basins into cultural and sports facilities. 

The Mangwon water retention basin (54,000㎡) and the Mapo water retention basin (26,115㎡), installed in 1973 and 1979 respectively, have served as key infrastructure for preventing floods in low-lying areas during heavy rainfall for half a century.

However, as the facilities have aged, environmental conditions have deteriorated due to odor and dredging soil generation even during normal times, and their limitations as facilities avoided by residents have become apparent.

In particular, while the Mangwon water retention basin area is currently used for sports facilities such as a park golf course and a soccer field, the area floods during heavy rain, generating a large amount of dredging soil. Significant time and budget have been required for maintenance after drainage.

In response, Mapo District plans to modernize the facilities to reorganize the management system of the water retention basins, thereby strengthening their original function and increasing their utility.

By installing collection wells in both water retention basins and reorganizing them into a structure capable of constant direct drainage, the district aims to further solidify their water retention function and secure additional idle land.

Furthermore, the secured land will be developed into a complex that integrates culture, sports, and leisure, aiming to elevate the city's competitiveness.

To ensure concrete implementation, Mapo District is currently undertaking a feasibility study and basic plan for the Mangwon water retention basin development direction, for which funding has been allocated in the 2026 budget.

Based on the results of the study, the district plans to strengthen the project's substance through close consultation with relevant institutions such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Additionally, Mapo District has received ownership and management rights of the Mapo water retention basin public parking lot site (20,160.8㎡) and its above-ground parking facilities from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Leveraging the geographical advantage of this key junction connecting the city center and the Han River, the district plans to construct the 'Mapo 365 Cultural and Sports Center' on this site.

This project to utilize the water retention basins is expected to be a turning point that expands sports and cultural infrastructure while structurally improving the burden of maintenance that has occurred repeatedly.

Park Kang-soo, Mayor of Mapo District, stated, "We intend to return the water retention basins, which have not been fully utilized despite their excellent location along the Han River, entirely to the residents' space." He added, "By converting the function of the water retention basins, which span approximately 82,500㎡, we will maintain flood control functions without any gaps and create an innovative model that substantially improves the quality of residents' lives."