Condolence Wreaths Pop Up in Unexpected Places as Local Governments Grapple With Cleanup

[Anchor]

Wreaths that were once used to send congratulations and condolences are now appearing at protest sites. Using wreaths to express political views is establishing itself as a new culture. However, local governments tasked with clearing them away are facing deep concerns.

Reporter Je Hui-won has the details.

[Reporter]

Last week, around 200 condolence wreaths stood in a line in front of the entrance to the Yongsan Children's Garden in Seoul.

They were sent by citizens opposed to designating the surrounding area as a new housing development site.

Citizens who encountered clusters of chrysanthemums, a symbol of mourning, in an unexpected place expressed mixed reactions.

[Person A / Woman in her 20s: It is a bit bewildering, since I came here to see an exhibition. Did they really have to put them here?]IDADE

[Person B / Woman in her 20s: People have freedom of expression, so I think it is fine to put them here.]

The 125 wreaths that filled the street in front of Baejae High School amid a controversy over disparaging the May 18 Democratization Movement were all collected by the Gangdong-gu Office early last month and are being stored in a warehouse.

The fresh flowers have already withered, and the colorful plastic artificial flowers have faded, but under current regulations, they cannot be immediately discarded or handed over to recycling companies.

This is because even though they were collected using manpower and budgets by treating them as illegal obstacles under the Road Act, they must be stored for one month after public announcement on the website in case the owners appear.

[Official at Gangdong-gu Office, Seoul: We received a lot of complaints. People asked, 'Why did you take them away?' On the other hand, others called to complain, saying, 'It is dangerous, so please clear them away quickly.' Protest calls kept coming in.]

As wreaths establish themselves as one of the ways to express political opinions, companies advertising delivery within a few hours have also emerged, leaving local governments agonizing.

Some local governments argue that wreaths should be viewed as a type of outdoor advertisement. While current laws define advertisements installed without permission or reporting as illegal, interpretations remain ambiguous as to whether wreaths can be included as regulated items.

[Kim Yoon-tae, Professor of Sociology at Korea University: While they can be seen as having a public goods character, they also pursue very private interests and represent partisan interests, so I believe unified guidelines [on protest wreaths] can be presented.]

Experts point out that clear standards must be established to reduce citizen inconvenience without infringing upon freedom of expression.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News)

Reported by Bae Moon-san | Video by Kim Ho-jin | Graphics by Lee Ga-jin
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.