It Cost 200 Million Won to Make... Complaints Pour In Over Songdo's 'Hand of Love,' Which 'Looks Like It's Flipping Someone Off'

[Financial News] A hand-shaped sculpture installed along the coast of Songdo International City in Incheon has prompted a series of complaints.
Yonhap News Agency reported on the 20th that the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority had installed the hand-shaped sculpture along the coast of Long Beach Park (Landmark City No. 1 Waterfront Park) at the northern end of Songdo International City. The sculpture is approximately 4–5 meters high and 3 meters wide, and depicts a human hand with its middle and ring fingers folded.
The sculpture was installed to express “love” in sign language, as Long Beach Park is often used as a dating spot by couples. In sign language, “I love you” is represented by the ILY abbreviation from the English phrase “I Love You,” with the middle and ring fingers folded and the remaining fingers extended.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority developed the sculpture’s concept with a design firm and commissioned an outside company to produce it. The sculpture is made of GRC, a composite material consisting of cement and concrete reinforced with glass fibers. About 200 million won was spent on its production.
The sculpture was expected to become a symbol of Long Beach Park as a photo spot with Incheon Bridge in the background, but local residents have had mixed reactions. Complaints about the sculpture have continued to appear, particularly on local online communities, and related complaints have also been filed with the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority.
An official from the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority said, "It appears that complaints such as 'it looks like it's flipping someone off' have been filed because the meaning of the Long Beach Park sculpture is not widely known." The official added, "We plan to actively explain to residents the meaning of the sculpture, which indirectly expresses love."
Songdo, Incheon, previously faced controversy over the appropriateness of the “Mudflat Peeing Boys” statue installed at Central Park in 2011. The fountain-style statue depicts three boys with their pants down urinating toward the riverside. Some complainants called for its removal, saying, "I find it offensive to see them with their pants down and their genitals exposed."
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter