The Chinese Foreign Ministry has protested the Gwangju Biennale's decision to allow participation from the 'Taiwan Pavilion' and has demanded corrective action from the South Korean government.
In a statement released on its website on the night of September 3, spokesperson Guo Jia-kun criticized the Biennale organizers for allowing Taiwan to participate under a name that does not align with its status, stating, "This is a blatant violation of the One China principle." He added, "China firmly opposes this and has lodged a serious diplomatic protest, demanding that the relevant parties immediately rectify this mistake."
Guo emphasized that South Korea has repeatedly clarified its unchanged position on the One China principle this year, urging the South Korean government to honor its political commitments and fulfill its responsibilities by taking concrete actions to implement the One China principle.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in South Korea also addressed the issue on the same day through the embassy's official WeChat account. They stated, "The embassy and the Consulate General in Gwangju have discussed this matter multiple times with the integrated government of Jeollanam-do and Gwangju Metropolitan City, as well as the Gwangju Biennale Foundation, but the organizers have insisted on their erroneous approach," claiming it seriously undermines the One China principle and directly damages the political foundation of China-South Korea relations. The embassy noted that a Chinese curatorial team has already announced its withdrawal in strong protest.
Earlier, the Gwangju Biennale organizers changed the name of the 'Taiwan Pavilion' to 'National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts' in early August. However, after Taiwan protested the change as "political censorship," the name was reverted back to 'Taiwan Pavilion.' In response to this situation, 19 artists and curators from mainland China were scheduled to exhibit their works at the Ha Jung-woong Art Museum from September 5 to November 5 but halted their installation work on August 28.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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