Residents are continuously filing complaints regarding a human hand-shaped sculpture installed along the coast of Songdo International City.

According to Incheon City on September 20, the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Authority installed a hand-shaped sculpture on the coast of Long Beach Park (Landmark City Waterfront Park No. 1) in the northern part of Songdo International City.

The sculpture stands 4 to 5 meters tall and is 3 meters wide, shaped like a human hand with the middle and ring fingers folded down.

The IFEZ Authority explained that considering Long Beach Park is frequently visited by couples as a dating spot, the sculpture was installed to express "love" in sign language.

In sign language, expressing "I love you" involves the ILY gesture, which stands for the English phrase "I Love You," formed by folding the middle and ring fingers while extending the remaining fingers.

The IFEZ Authority stated that it conceptualized the sculpture with a designer and manufactured it through an external contractor.

The sculpture is made of GRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete, a composite material reinforcing cement and concrete with glass fibers), with production costs totaling around 200 million won.

While the IFEZ Authority anticipated that the sculpture, set against the backdrop of the Incheon Grand Bridge, would serve as a photo zone and become a symbol of Long Beach Park, the reactions among nearby residents have been mixed.

Recently, local online communities have seen posts such as "Is this bizarre sculpture photo zone for real?" and "Please stop making weird sculptures." Related complaints have also been pouring into the IFEZ Authority.

An official from the IFEZ Authority said, "It seems complaints are coming in because the meaning of the Long Beach Park sculpture is not widely known, leading to misunderstandings such as it looking like an obscene hand gesture." They added, "We plan to actively explain the meaning of the sculpture, which indirectly expresses love, to the residents."

Meanwhile, in Songdo, Incheon, controversy also arose in 2011 regarding the appropriateness of the "Mudflat Urinator" statue installed in Central Park.

That statue, shaped like a fountain, depicted three young boys with their pants down urinating toward the river. Some residents requested its removal, complaining that the depiction of boys with their pants down exposing their genitals was unpleasant.

(Photo provided by Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, Yonhap News)