The Han River Park 'Monster' That Became a Burden, Fading into History After 10 Years

Criticism Mounts Over 'Eyesore' and 'Budget Waste'
Demolition Decided as Early as First Half of the Year

The purpose of public art is to enhance the quality of life and cultural standards by allowing people to experience art in their everyday lives. It is also expected to attract tourists and improve the image of local areas. However, most public art installations have been promoted as achievements of local government heads, resulting in wasteful spending of taxpayers' money.

A representative example is the sculpture from the movie "The Host" installed in Seoul's Hangang Park. On the 18th, the Seoul city government announced that next month it will hold a public art review committee meeting to decide whether to dismantle the sculptures installed throughout Hangang Park, including the "The Host" sculpture. The sculpture, located between Mapo Bridge and Wonhyo Bridge, recreates the monster from director Bong Joon-ho's 2006 film "The Host," which attracted over 10 million viewers.

A sculpture from the movie "The Host" installed in Seoul Hangang Park is scheduled to be removed after 10 years.
[Photo by Seoul Tourism Information]

The sculpture measures 3 meters in height and 10 meters in length, with a budget of 180 million won. It was created in 2014, eight years after the film's release. At that time, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon proposed creating a tourism product linked to storytelling along the Hangang River. However, the sculpture has been criticized as an eyesore that spoils the cityscape or as a waste of budget.

A city official explained, "We plan to dismantle sculptures that are severely deteriorated, spoil the cityscape, or pose safety issues. Since the 'The Host' sculpture has been controversial, we have decided to proceed with its removal." The city plans to begin dismantling as early as the first half of the year after going through procedures such as the public art review committee and expert consultations.

1.9 Billion Won Angel Statue and 1 Billion Won Shrimp Tower... Local Governments Creating Eyesores

Controversies surrounding public art across the country are nothing new. As of the 15th, there are about 23,600 public art pieces nationwide. Every year, about 1,000 new pieces are added, averaging three per day. The average price per piece is in the mid-100 million won range. However, local residents' evaluations are cold. Half of them say they were unaware of the artworks' existence, and the other half criticize them as "wasteful spending." Representative failed public art projects include the "Shrimp Tower" (1 billion won) in Sorae Port, Incheon, and the "Jjukkumi Slide" (520 million won) in Gochang County, Jeonbuk. The "Heung-gyeoun Urigarag" sculpture in front of the National Tax Service in Sejong City, which cost 105 million won, was dismantled after numerous complaints that it resembled the Grim Reaper and was frightening.

(Photo from left) 'Shrimp Tower' in Soraepogu, Incheon, 'Jjukkumi Slide' in Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, and 'Cheerful Urigarak' in front of the National Tax Service in Sejong City. These three works are considered failures in public art. [Photo source=Each local government website]

Among these cases, there is even fraud involving false credentials of an artist. This is the angel sculpture in Shinan County, Jeonnam. There are a total of 318 angel sculptures scattered across Haewido Island in Shinan County. The county ambitiously spent 1.9 billion won to create an outdoor museum using the entire island (34.63 km²) as a backdrop. The artist behind this work is Mr. Choi. A plaque on one side of the island boasts of Choi’s impressive credentials, including being a professor and honorary professor at Paris 7 University in France and an advisor at the Vatican Institute of Sculptural Arts. However, in February, Shinan County filed a police complaint against Mr. Choi for fraud. It was later revealed that Choi has six prior convictions including fraud, and all his credentials were fabricated.

Cheongdo County in Gyeongbuk is also a victim, having paid 290 million won to Mr. Choi for 20 sculptures installed in parks and other locations. Both local governments failed to make sufficient efforts to verify the artist’s credentials.