Missile sculptures bearing North Korean flag removed from northern Seoul festival

An installation of 40 missile sculptures was removed from a district-run festival in northern Seoul after visitors criticized its suitability for the event.

Titled “Thesis-Antithesis-synthesis : latitude37.6538'N longitude 127.0694'E,” the work by artist Park Gun-jae featured sculptures each measuring about 1 meter tall bearing the flags of North Korea and six other countries. The work was displayed at the annual Nowon Moonlight Walk festival, which opened Friday.

The Nowon District Office said it first saw the work in its final installed form on opening day. After receiving complaints, it covered the North Korean flag and asked the artist to make changes before removing the installation.

“As it differed from the proposal initially presented to us, we asked the artist to make changes. We subsequently removed the work after considering the purpose of the public exhibition and residents’ concerns,” the district said in a statement Monday.

The district said it took residents’ concerns seriously because the exhibition was held in a space they use daily. It also acknowledged the need to review artworks’ final form and content more thoroughly before they are displayed.

Other flags featured on the sculptures included those for China, Iran, Ukraine and the United States.

The festival runs through Nov. 8 and invites visitors to view artworks at night along a 1-kilometer stretch of Danghyeoncheon.

“We have removed the installation and have yet to decide whether to replace it with another work. It was intended to promote world peace and featured other national flags besides North Korea’s. It is unfortunate that the criticism overshadowed that intention,” an official from the Nowon Culture and Arts Center told The Korea Herald on Monday.

Another installation, “The Way of Facing the Truth” by Lee Tal, was also taken down amid criticism, according to the district office. The work featured a sign reading “YourSouthMyNorth.”

Now in its sixth year, the festival features about 30 works by 24 artists and collectives under the theme “New Moon, New Wishes.” It is organized by the Nowon Culture and Arts Center with a budget of 600 million won ($451,000).