Overview
- The Chinese pavilion team announced a unanimous withdrawal on Sept. 3, two days before the biennale was due to open, after installation work had already been halted.
- Organisers had earlier listed Taiwan’s entry as “NTMoFA” then reversed that decision and restored the name “Taiwan Pavilion” on Aug. 25 following protests from Taiwanese artists and officials.
- The Gwangju Biennale Foundation issued an apology for the confusion and said it does not censor participating shows while insisting the naming dispute stemmed from administrative classification rules.
- South Korea’s foreign ministry reiterated that the government upholds the One China policy and said the naming decision was made independently by the private cultural sector.
- The dispute has already led to canceled visits and could affect future cultural exchanges and city-level partnerships, so observers will watch for further diplomatic responses from Beijing and Seoul.