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| ▲ This file photo taken on Nov. 11, 2025, shows Jongmyo Shrine and the Sewun District 4 redevelopment area located across from the shrine. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- Heritage experts in South Korea on Monday urged the Seoul city government to undergo a Heritage Impact Assessment for a contentious redevelopment project near Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site, warning that unchecked construction could threaten the area's historical integrity.
The Korean National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Korea) also proposed a joint review involving the Seoul metropolitan government, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), and independent experts to examine the effects of redeveloping the Sewun District 4 area and explore alternative plans.
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| ▲ This photo, taken on Nov. 18, 2025, shows the Sewun District 4 redevelopment area located directly across from the Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
Last month, the Seoul city government approved raising the building height limit in the area to 145 meters -- more than double the previous cap -- directly across from the shrine.
The decision has ignited a standoff between local and central authorities. The central government argues that ultra-high-rise buildings would diminish the shrine's historical landscape, while the city contends the project would improve the surroundings by introducing a broad green space rather than harming the view.
Jongmyo Shrine, which houses the ancestral tablets of the Joseon Dynasty's royal family (1392–1910), is one of Korea's earliest UNESCO World Heritage sites, inscribed in 1995.
"The state party, namely the Korea Heritage Service, should officially notify the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and conduct an impact assessment with the participation of the Seoul city, the KHS and experts," the ICOMOS Korea said in a statement adopted after a board meeting held Sunday.
A joint heritage impact assessment and the activation of a formal international consultation process represented "the most effective solution" to the ongoing dispute, the committee added.
It marks the committee's first official stance on the issue.
Describing the approach as a "balanced process grounded in scientific evidence, international standards, urban development goals, and community needs," the committee stressed that a heritage impact assessment is not meant to halt development, but to serve as an international standard tool for rational decision-making.
"What matters now is not who is right, but the proper activation of international procedures," it underlined.
ICOMOS, a UNESCO advisory body, assesses World Heritage nominations and monitors conservation worldwide, with about 10,000 experts across more than 130 countries. ICOMOS Korea, established in 1999, advises on the preservation and management of cultural heritage within the country.
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