Gwangju Metropolitan City apologizes for Taiwan Pavilion naming controversy

Gwangju Metropolitan City has issued an official apology regarding the controversy surrounding the 'Taiwan Pavilion' naming at the 16th Gwangju Biennale. The city cited insufficient communication between the Biennale Foundation and participating institutions as the cause of the dispute, which escalated into a diplomatic tension involving China and Taiwan.

The controversy began when the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) expressed dissatisfaction after the Biennale Foundation changed the exhibition name from 'Taiwan Pavilion' to the institutional name 'NTMoFA'. While the Foundation claimed this was an administrative measure to distinguish between national and institutional pavilions, critics labeled it political censorship. Although the name 'Taiwan Pavilion' was eventually approved, the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea expressed regret over the decision, and Chinese artists participating in the event halted their installations.

In its apology, Gwangju Metropolitan City reaffirmed its respect for the ‘One China’ principle in alignment with South Korean foreign policy. The city emphasized that the use of the term 'Taiwan Pavilion' is an artistic expression left to the participating artists and does not constitute official recognition of Taiwan as a state. The city pledged to investigate the operational failures and implement measures to prevent recurrence while maintaining friendly relations with China.