On July 2, the City of Los Angeles decided to move the model of a turtle warship Geobukseon, which had been displayed inside City Hall, to the Convention Center. This decision has sparked criticism from some members of the Korean American community.
The model, gifted by Busan, LA’s sister city, in 1982, has been on display at City Hall for 42 years. LA officials stated that they plan to relocate all sister city exhibits, including those from Japan and Mexico, to the Convention Center, allowing more people to view them.
On August 7, the “Committee for the Restoration of the Geobukseon Exhibit” held a press conference condemning LA Mayor Karen Bass for the decision to relocate the model.
Chairman Scott Suh criticized the move, stating, “This act disregards the Korean community and is unacceptable. It also damages the diplomatic and friendship ties with Busan, the sister city that donated the model.” The committee demanded that the model be returned to its original location at City Hall.
Los Angeles formed a sister city relationship with Busan in 1967 and received the Turtle Ship model as a gift in 1982, which has been displayed in City Hall ever since. However, on July 2, the LA City Council adopted a resolution to move the sister city exhibits to the Convention Center to make space for promotional materials for the 2028 LA Olympics, approving a budget of $500,000 for the move.
Chairman Suh emphasized, “During the 1984 LA Olympics, there was no such move to relocate the Turtle Ship model for promotional purposes.”
The LA city officials clarified that the decision was not solely for creating promotional space for the Olympics. They explained that it was to restore the sister city exhibits that have been on display for decades and to secure a larger exhibition space.
Ji-eun Kim, a press aide from the Mayor’s Office, stated, “We are currently using the budget to restore the donated items for longer preservation. Many visitors will be able to view the Geobukseon model and other exhibits in the larger space of the Convention Center.” LA city officials also mentioned that a celebration event in coordination with the community would be held once the re-exhibition schedule is confirmed.
Meanwhile, the timing of the LA City government’s notification to the Korean Consulate General in LA and Busan regarding the relocation has sparked controversy. The city claimed that they informed the Consulate General after the related resolution passed the City Council on July 2 and subsequently contacted Busan about the relocation plan.
However, the Korean Consulate General stated that they were only informed about the relocation at the end of July, four weeks after the resolution had passed.
An official from the Consulate General mentioned, “We received a phone call from the Mayor’s Office last weekend asking for understanding about the relocation and then conveyed this information to Busan.”
Yoon Tong-hwan, a coordinator at Busan Metropolitan City Office’s International Affairs Division, also confirmed, “We were informed about the relocation at the end of July.”
Moving the exhibits before notifying the Consulate General could be seen as a diplomatic discourtesy towards the sister city.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
