▲ Lee Byong-hyun (L), chair of the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee; UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany; and Huh Min, director of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), pose for photos in Paris on Nov. 26, 2025, in this photo provided by KHS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

   PARIS, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany has voiced deep concern over Seoul's high-rise development plan near Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine when he met with Huh Min, director of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), Huh said.

 

   "He brought up the issue and expressed deep concern over the plan," Huh said Wednesday while briefing reporters about his meeting with the UNESCO director-general earlier in the day.

 

   "He asked us to promise not to build high-rises until a heritage impact assessment is complete," Huh said. 

 

   Previously, UNESCO's World Heritage Center had sent an official letter advising the city to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment prior to any construction, warning that such a plan could threaten the integrity of the historic complex.

 

   Jongmyo is a sacred heritage site where the ancestral tablets of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) are enshrined and carries symbolic significance as one of Korea's first UNESCO World Heritage sites, designated in 1995.

 

   Huh said he explained the South Korean government's efforts to preserve Jongmyo's World Heritage status, and that El-Enany pledged his support.

 

   The two also discussed preparations for the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled for July next year in the southeastern city of Busan.

 

   Around 3,000 participants, including delegations from 196 signatory states, international organizations and NGOs, are expected to attend the upcoming session. 

 

   Huh said El-Enany has expressed high expectations for Korea's first time hosting a UNESCO meeting and conveyed his full support for the preparations.

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