The recent audit results released by the Audit Office disclose significant mismanagement in the ambitious Gwanghwamun Project, which is budgeted at over 600 billion won to develop the Gwanghwamun area into a cultural experiential space. Initiated by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, this project, funded by over 622 billion won in subsidies awarded to the Korea Creative Content Agency since 2020, aimed to continuously operate digital immersive content. However, out of the eight types of content produced, only two remain operational as originally planned, with the rest either discontinued or relocated.

The audit highlighted that the Korea Creative Content Agency failed to comprehensively assess overall operational costs before entering into contracts, resulting in ongoing location and equipment rental costs that became unmanageable. For instance, the augmented reality installation and smartphone-based mission game, which cost 6.2 billion won to produce, racked up over 500 million won annually in operating fixed costs despite only being operational for one year. Furthermore, the initial planning process was plagued by inadequate assessments of installation environments, leading to significant operational issues from the beginning.

Additionally, the contract complications extended to the inclusion of attraction devices such as the 'Gwanghwajeoncha.' After an extensive delay of six months in securing an installation site post-contract, it was revealed that the chosen location was unsuitable, fundamentally altering its intended autonomous operation plan to a fixed-ride format. This unfortunate scenario not only diminished the anticipated seating capacity from ten to five but also raised structural safety concerns, ultimately leading to its dismantling just 52 days after installation due to weaknesses against strong winds.