The apology came as the chief executive of the Gruenenthal Group Harald Stock unveiled a bronze statue symbolising a boy born without a limbs because of thalidomide.
At the head of Gwanghwamun Square sits the gleaming statue of Sejong the Great, the 15th century Joseon-dynasty king whose reign oversaw a golden age of literature, science and technology.
The Albert Memorial is at the southern end of Kensington Gardens, and the striking bronze statue looks towards the Royal Albert Hall just across the road.
Bartholdi decided to make a copper statue in the image of a woman -- Lady Liberty. High above her head, she would hold a torch of freedom to light the world. The statue's face was the face of Bartholdi's mother.
The bronze was cast in Oslo, Norway, making it all the way here, where it represents hope and progress for Detroit to this day, currently wearing Lions jersey honoring the football team's inspiring run.
Slowly, the bronze bent forward at the knee and ankle, Saddam's huge figure bobbing for a few seconds in a horizontal position as the modest crowd of Iraqis whistled and cheered.
Could the towering Washington Monument or the nearby Jefferson Memorial-a neoclassic shrine encasing a bronze figure of Jefferson-face the same fate as statues of Columbus and Confederate generals?