Nowon-gu Removes 'North Korean Flag Missile' Sculpture... "Final Check Was Inadequate"

Work Found to Differ from Plan; Two Controversial Works Removed

Nowon-gu, Seoul, expressed regret over the controversy surrounding a missile sculpture depicting the North Korean flag that was displayed at the public art festival “2026 Nowon Dalbit Sanchaek” and removed the work. The district said it accepts criticism that it should have more carefully checked the work’s final installed form.

Citizens and the surrounding scenery at last year's Nowon Moonlight Walk. Photo courtesy of Nowon-gu.

Nowon-gu (Mayor Seo Jun-oh) issued a statement on the 19th, saying, “We regret that some of the works on display at ‘2026 Nowon Dalbit Sanchaek,’ which opened on the 16th, caused residents inconvenience and concern.”

The work at the center of the controversy is “Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis” by artist Park Geon-jae. About 40 metal sculptures shaped like missiles, each about 1 meter tall, were installed on the bank of Danghyeoncheon. Seven of them featured the flags of North Korea, Iran, China, and other countries. After residents repeatedly said the sculptures were inappropriate for display along a walking trail and called for their removal, the district covered the flags with black plastic on the night of the 16th.

The district said that when it checked the works installed on the festival’s opening day, it found differences from the concept plan originally presented to it and asked the artist to make revisions. It later decided to remove the work after taking into account both the purpose of the public exhibition and residents’ concerns. Under the original plan, only silver missile sculptures without flags were to be installed. The district also completed the removal of another work, “A Way of Facing the Truth,” which had drawn further controversy.

The district also explained how the advance inspection was conducted. At the on-site inspection two days before the festival opened, “Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis” had not yet been installed. The inspection was intended to review the festival’s overall operations, including resident safety and the viewing environment, and did not cover the content or expression of individual works, it said. The district added that selecting works and operating the exhibition fall within the exclusive authority of the Nowon Cultural Foundation, which organizes and hosts the festival.

However, the district said, “We take seriously the criticism that, because this public exhibition is being held in residents’ everyday surroundings, the final installed form and content of the work should have been checked more carefully.” It added that it would closely review the entire process, from work selection through production and installation to the final inspection, to prevent similar cases from recurring.

Launched in 2020, Nowon Dalbit Sanchaek features works by 22 artists this year along an approximately 1.3-kilometer stretch of Danghyeoncheon, from Danghyeon 1 Bridge to Yangji Bridge, with around 30 works on display. The festival is sponsored by Nowon-gu and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, with a total budget of 620 million won. It runs through November 8.

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