Whose Art Is It? Publicness and Access in South Korea’s Artworks for Buildings Policy

South Korea’s Artworks for Buildings (AFB) policy mandates percent-for-art installations across public and private development. This article examines how the policy defines and evaluates public access, and whether mandated artworks can function as public art in public places. Combining legal-institutional analysis, international comparison, site observations, and content analysis of Seoul AFB Review Committee minutes, the study finds that access is weakly specified, narrowly interpreted, and subordinated to harmonization concerns. It argues that access-based definitions, siting rules, public–private differentiation, and inter-ministerial coordination are needed for AFB to function as public art rather than as private development amenities.