"Female Soldiers as Cheerleaders?"... Controversy Over Sexism in Sculpture Showing 'Male Salute, Female Cute Fighting Pose'

Dorasan Observatory, Only Male Soldiers Saluting
Paju City Adjusts Some Photo Zone Facilities

After a controversy over gender discrimination arose surrounding the soldier sculptures installed at the grassy plaza of Dorasan Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, the city of Paju partially removed the sculptures.

The male soldier was depicted performing a salute, while the female soldier was created in a cheering pose with one hand on her waist and the other raised, which sparked criticism.

Male and female soldier statues installed at Dorasan Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo provided by=Military Sexual Violence Counseling Center]

According to the Military Human Rights Center and others on the 17th, Paju City removed the female soldier cutout among the two soldier sculptures installed at the grassy plaza of Dorasan Observatory in the city on the 30th of last month.

These two sculptures, dressed as male and female army officers, had holes at the face position so visitors to Dorasan Observatory could place their faces and take commemorative photos.

However, the problem was that while the male soldier sculpture was made in a formal posture performing a salute, the female soldier sculpture was posed with crossed legs, one hand on her waist, and the other hand slightly raised in a fist as if showing 'aegyo' (cute charm), which is not a posture found in military drill manuals.

The Military Sexual Violence Counseling Center pointed out, "The male soldier appears to be faithfully fulfilling his role, but the female soldier’s pose seems unrelated to the role of a soldier due to the aegyo-like posture."

Additionally, the center stated, "The male soldier is saluting in a proper posture, while the female soldier is posing as if showing aegyo. The problematic sculptures could instill distorted gender roles and discriminate against and exclude female soldiers who serve diligently on the front lines," and on the 26th of last month, they requested the Ministry of National Defense and Paju City to remove and modify the sculptures.

Military structures for male soldiers installed at Dorasan Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Only the structures for female soldiers have been dismantled. [Photo provided by Military Sexual Violence Counseling Center]

In response, Paju City accepted the Military Human Rights Center’s Military Sexual Violence Counseling Center’s criticism and removed the female soldier sculpture on the 30th of last month but did not produce a new female soldier cutout.

The Paju Urban Tourism Corporation, the entrusted operator and manager of the sculptures, stated, "There are no plans to install another female soldier sculpture in the future."

The Military Sexual Violence Counseling Center commented, "It looks as if only male soldiers exist in South Korea," and added, "Instead of seeking solutions based on gender sensitivity, the passive approach of erasing the problem itself shows the limitations of Paju City’s awareness regarding the resolution of gender discrimination issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.