A 5-meter hand sculpture at Songdo's Long Beach Park was designed to sign 'I love you'

Residents flooded authorities with removal demands, prompting the deaf association to speak out

A hand-shaped sculpture installed at Long Beach Park in Songdo International City, Incheon. [Yonhap]
A hand-shaped sculpture installed at Long Beach Park in Songdo International City, Incheon. [Yonhap]

After a giant hand-shaped sculpture on the Songdo International City waterfront in Incheon drew a flood of resident complaints, the local deaf association urged authorities to publicize the work's true meaning rather than tear it down.

The Yeonsu-gu chapter of the Incheon Association of the Deaf issued a statement Monday saying the sculpture expresses "I love you" in international sign language and calling for "active promotion and public information."

"Concerns have been raised due to its unfamiliar appearance and some misunderstanding, but the solution should be to widely communicate the work's creative intent and cultural significance rather than demolish a valuable piece of public art," the association said, urging a wise resolution to the dispute.

The sculpture at the center of the controversy is a public artwork that the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority recently installed along the waterfront at Long Beach Park — also known as Landmark City Waterfront Park No. 1 — in northern Songdo, at a cost of 200 million won ($145,000).

Standing roughly 4 to 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide, the piece depicts a human hand with the middle and ring fingers folded down and the remaining fingers extended — the sign-language gesture for "I love you" (ILY). It was conceived as a photo spot drawing on the park's reputation as a popular sunset destination and couples' date venue.

Shortly after it was unveiled, however, local online communities and the district office were inundated with complaints. Residents wrote that it "looks like a rude hand gesture," demanded the "eyesore photo spot" be removed, and accused the city of wasting taxpayer money.

The sculpture is currently covered with a cloth while the relevant authorities prepare remedial measures, including installing a sign explaining the work's meaning.

As the backlash grew, Lee Ju-sun, chair of the Yeonsu-gu chapter of the Incheon Association of the Deaf, proposed placing informational signs around the sculpture explaining the symbolic meaning of the sign-language gesture and the work's purpose, along with examples of well-known figures at home and abroad using the ILY sign.

"Introducing children to international sign language, which is shared across the world, could naturally help improve awareness of people with disabilities," Lee said. "I hope wise action will be taken so that Songdo can move beyond this misunderstanding and emerge as a truly inclusive and communicative international city."


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