Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon appeared on CBS’s “Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show” on the 11th, addressing the controversy over the redevelopment of Zone 4 of the Sewoon Redevelopment Promotion District near Jongmyo. He criticized Prime Minister Kim Min-seok for “trying to provoke public sentiment by using emotional language, which is a form of incitement.”
Previously, Prime Minister Kim visited Jongmyo and commented, “(If high-rise development occurs) it will become an abysmal sight,” “It will take your breath away,” and “Recently, due to Kim Kun-hee’s frequent visits to Jongmyo, the public might have felt insulted, and now this issue seems to be causing great public concern.”
In response, Mayor Oh stated that “emotional expressions are being used, but it should be discussed scientifically. What does this have to do with Kim Kun-hee? Buildings will be constructed well beyond the legally protected 100-meter zone, starting at 170-190 meters away. Would building 100-150 story buildings more than 500 meters away from Jongmyo Jeongjeon affect anything?”
He further claimed, “The Cultural Heritage Administration, out of greed, asked for protection beyond the legal 100 meters. The Supreme Court ruled this excessive, yet now the Prime Minister insists, ‘I’ll create new laws to prevent construction.'”
Mayor Oh explained that adjusting the building height in the area is “to ensure economic feasibility and save public funds.” He added, “There are apartments and shops in that area. To relocate them, Seoul citizens would have to bear a cost of 1.5 trillion won in taxes. To save this, developers will bear the costs of creating green spaces and relocation expenses.”
He also mentioned the 58-year-old Sewoon Shopping Center across from Jongmyo, noting that “two years ago, falling concrete injured a pedestrian’s foot. What if it had hit someone’s head?” and emphasized the urgency of redevelopment for safety reasons.
Mayor Oh introduced projects in 5-6 locations in the city center by Seoul city to highlight cultural heritage and argued, “The Seoul Metropolitan Government has devised a rational plan considering both cultural heritage protection and development, but the government is politicizing it.”
He concluded, “Seoul city conducts well-researched, rational planning, but the government is simply opposing without consideration. Central government should assist when logic for development and cultural heritage protection coexist instead of politicizing the issue.”