The ‘Three Bears’ sculpture located in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, will be removed within this month. This sculpture consists of two parent bears and one child bear, and criticism has been raised that it promotes low birth rates due to having 'one child.'
According to the city of Seoul on the 7th, a complainant identified as A said, 'When I see the bear family sculpture at the Seoul Botanical Garden, there are currently three bears (father, mother, baby).' They added, 'The current generation is facing low birth rates, which is a national and social issue, and it does not align with the city of Seoul's policy for families with multiple children.'
Meanwhile, A said, 'Please change the bear family sculpture to depict five bears (father, mother, and three babies),' adding, 'This is more in line with national social policies, and I believe that children growing up will naturally think of having siblings as a norm.' They continued, 'Improving these small things could be the starting point to change the mindset regarding low birth rates ingrained in the current generation.'
The Seoul Botanical Garden has sympathized with the complaint and decided to remove the sculpture. The fact that the sculpture itself has aged was also taken into consideration. The Seoul Botanical Garden stated, 'It is a serious issue as the current artificial turf is degrading, and the installation is located in a play area where children often climb on it, raising safety concerns. We believe it is appropriate to remove it first, and we plan to do so by May.'
'The issue of population decrease due to low birth rates is an important challenge that affects society as a whole. To address this, our botanical garden is also working on providing benefits to families with multiple children concerning entrance fees,' they noted, adding, 'In the future, we will incorporate various opinions and create sculptures that convey social messages including low birth rate issues in a safer and more effective way.'