▲ This photo, taken on Nov. 18, 2025, shows the Sewun District 4 redevelopment area located directly across from the Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul. (Yonhap)

 

   SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's heritage authorities and the Seoul metropolitan government have held their first round of preliminary talks to address a growing dispute over a controversial high-rise redevelopment project planned near Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

 

   Director-general-level officials from the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the city government met last Friday to discuss "practical matters" in preparation for coordination talks between central and local authorities, KHS Administrator Huh Min told reporters Wednesday.

 

   He added that no agreement has yet been reached on whether a heritage impact assessment should be carried out for the city-led project.

 

   Huh said another round of preliminary talks will be held before a full coordination session is convened, which could involve Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

 

   Friday's talks come after public controversy erupted last month over Seoul's plan to redevelop Sewoon District 4, located directly across from Jongmyo, the Confucian royal shrine that houses the memorial tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) kings and queens. The city government earlier decided to double the area's building height limit to 145 meters -- a move heritage officials say could undermine the shrine's historical landscape.

 

   The central government has also warned the "ultra high-rise" project risks harming the site's landscape, while the city argues it would revitalize the district with new open green space.

 

   UNESCO has asked local authorities to conduct a heritage impact assessment for the redevelopment, but Seoul has yet to respond, according to KHS officials.

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