Spent 200 Million Won, But "Obscene Gesture?" Controversy Over Giant Songdo Sculpture

"ILY" Gesture Faces Backlash as an Eyesore
Authority Responds: "We Will Clarify Its Meaning"

There is ongoing debate over a sculpture in the shape of a human hand installed on the coast of Songdo International City in Incheon.

Sculpture in the shape of a hand on the coast of Songdo International City, Incheon. Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority

According to Yonhap News and the Incheon city government on September 20, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority installed a hand-shaped sculpture on the coast of Long Beach Park (Landmark City Waterfront Park No. 1) at the northern end of Songdo International City. The sculpture depicts a hand with the middle and ring fingers folded down. It stands 4-5 meters tall and 3 meters wide. Made from GRC (a composite material reinforced with glass fibers in cement and concrete), production costs amounted to approximately 200 million won.

The design represents the abbreviation "ILY," signifying "I LOVE YOU" in American Sign Language. The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority explained that the sculpture was installed considering that Long Beach Park is a popular destination for couples on dates. The authority developed the idea jointly with an architectural firm and outsourced production to an external company. Officials expect the sculpture to serve as a photo spot, with the Incheon Bridge in the background, and to become a symbolic landmark for Long Beach Park.

However, the reactions from actual park visitors have been cold. Recently, local online communities have posted comments such as "an eyesore photo spot," "please stop making weird sculptures," "is this a copy of the Pohang Homigot sculpture?" and "it doesn't suit a place with such a sunset view." The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority is also receiving related complaints. An official stated, "We believe people have referred to it as an obscene gesture because the meaning behind the Long Beach Park sculpture is not well known," adding, "We plan to actively explain to residents the meaning of the sculpture, which indirectly expresses love."

Mudflat Urinator Sculpture at Songdo Central Park. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Previously, controversy over appropriateness had also arisen in Songdo, Incheon, in connection with the "Mudflat Pee-er" statue installed at Central Park in 2011. The statue is designed as a fountain, showing three little boys with their pants down urinating toward the riverbank. Some complained that "the depiction of boys with their pants down and genitals exposed is unpleasant" and requested its removal.

The sculpture from the movie The Host at Yeouido Hangang Park. Photo by Yonhap News.

This is not the first time there has been controversy over public sculptures installed by local governments. The sculpture representing the movie "The Host," which was installed at Yeouido Hangang Park in 2014, was mired in so-called "eyesore controversy" for ten years before being removed in June last year by decision of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Public Art Review Committee. Similar reasons led to the removal of the mackerel pike tail sculpture in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and the Emperor Sunjong statue in Daegu.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.