At the tennis courts in front of the Economics and International Trade Building of Pusan National University (PNU), Park Tae-Won, manager of the tennis courts, works from 6 AM to 10 AM without a break every Monday. This is because outsiders ate food and threw away trash at the tennis courts during the weekends. Manager Park said, “I’m in trouble because I can’t stop outsiders from using the tennis courts on weekends. Some outsiders have been teaching classes for 30~40 years without PNU’s approval, but there is no way to stop them.”

PNU has prohibited eating and taking lessons on the tennis courts. However, there are no regulations for those who break the rules, such as imposing a fine or restriction of use. That’s why outsiders have been using the tennis courts for decades. Choi Joo-Won (pseudonym), a member of PNU tennis club “Approach,” said, “Some clubs that use the tennis courts on weekends throw away trash after eating food. I’ve also seen many outsiders teaching to family members on the empty courts.”

In order for outsiders to use the tennis courts of PNU, they must sign a “long-term contract” at the beginning of the year with the Sports Department of PNU, which manages the tennis courts. However, the majority of outsiders don’t go through these procedures and use the tennis courts without permission. Manager Park said, “Some outsiders persisted that ‘PNU is a national university, and we are Korean citizens, but why do PNU not allowed us to use the tennis court?’ There are rules for use, including that outsiders who do not have permission are not allowed to enter at the tennis courts’ entrance, but it is useless.”

On the other hand, PNU students can use the tennis courts only if they join the tennis club of PNU, due to the school regulations. Lee Hyun-Soo, the head manager of the Sports Department of PNU, said, “Since tennis is a sport with a high risk of injury, students who want to play tennis should join a club and learn properly.”

However, according to a report by Channel PNU, many schools, including the University of Seoul (UOS), Pukyong National University (PKNU), Chonnam National University (CNU), Chungnam National University (CNU), and Gyeongsang National University (GNU) have allowed using their tennis courts without joining the club. The “Approach” member Choi said, “Playing tennis in the wrong posture continuously can cause injury, but compared to sports such as soccer and basketball, it is less likely to cause injury. Therefore, it is wrong to restrict the use of the tennis courts for students who don’t belong to tennis clubs.”

So, there are opinions that the “online part-time reservation system” should be implemented so that PNU members and outsiders can use the tennis court efficiently. In other words, create a webpage to make people recognize the rules of using the tennis court when they make a reservation and allow only outsiders who have been confirmed to have paid fees after reservations.

Currently, many universities, including UOS, GNU, CNUs, and Kyungpook National University (KNU), have implemented a reservation system for outsiders to use their tennis courts. Among them, UOS and KNU are implementing an online reservation system, while CNU and GNU are considering implementing an online reservation system.

Head manager Lee said, “I’ll discuss imposing penalties on clubs that exceed their using time, eat food at the tennis court and take unauthorized lessons. Sports Department has signed a long-term contract with outsiders who want to use the tennis court for efficient management and so that more local residents can use the tennis court. Still, we will consider other ways of operating.”

Reporter Shin Yu-Jun

Translated by Seo Hae-Sung