Seoul’s high-rise redevelopment in front of the World Heritage Site, Jongmyo, is causing conflict with the National Heritage Administration. Recently, the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH Corporation), the developer, was caught conducting illegal drilling work using heavy machinery in 11 locations within Sewoon District 4 without permission.
The National Heritage Administration held an emergency press briefing on the 16th at the National Palace Museum in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to disclose this, stating that they had filed a complaint against SH Corporation with the police for violating the Cultural Heritage Protection and Investigation Act. Under current laws, Sewoon District 4 is an area with potential unexcavated cultural heritage, and any development work is prohibited until an administrative completion process is finished. The National Heritage Administration reported that on the 13th, they conducted a site investigation and determined that SH Corporation engaged in illegal activities without approval from the head of the National Heritage Administration. They have halted all alteration activities and immediately removed the heavy machinery brought to the site. According to the law, altering the state of confirmed or excavating cultural heritage can result in imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine of up to 100 million KRW.
Since 2022, SH Corporation has commissioned organizations like the Hanul Cultural Heritage Research Institute to conduct excavation investigations of Sewoon District 4. In this process, they uncovered traces of a street system that aid the understanding of access routes and paths of important Jongno buildings like Jongmyo, a large building site along the roadside, traces of gates marking administrative boundaries, pits containing cow bones presumed to be sacrifices, and traces of artificial watercourses, all in good condition. However, detailed preservation plans have not been finalized, and follow-up actions have been delayed, leading to the temporary protection or storage of artifacts on-site for two years.
The National Heritage Administration also revealed that on the 14th, they received a letter from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre expressing a stern position regarding Jongmyo. The letter emphasized that Seoul proceeding with the Sewoon District development despite two previous warnings would negatively impact Jongmyo’s World Heritage status. Additionally, it stated that unless Seoul commits to conducting a World Heritage Impact Assessment before moving forward with the development approval processes in Sewoon District 4 by March, Jongmyo might be placed on the ‘preservation agenda’ of the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan in July, or a formal on-site inspection might be conducted.
The National Heritage Administration expressed strong regret, noting, “Seoul is expected to hold an integrated redevelopment review committee meeting on the 19th and complete the project approval in April. Seoul and Jongno-gu are pushing forward with redevelopment despite legal obligations and international recommendations.”