Experts urge Seoul city to conduct heritage impact assessment for Jongmyo Shrine

▲ In this file photo, an aerial view shows Jongmyo Shrine, which houses the ancestral tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) kings and queens, and the Sewoon District 4 in central Seoul. (Yonhap)

UNESCO advisory body-Jongmyo

Experts urge Seoul city to conduct heritage impact assessment for Jongmyo Shrine

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- Heritage experts again called on the Seoul metropolitan government to assess the potential impact of a high-rise project near Jongmyo Shrine amid an ongoing dispute between local officials and heritage authorities over the development plan.

The Korean National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a UNESCO advisory body, said in a statement shared on its website Wednesday that the redevelopment plan in central Seoul "must not go ahead without a Heritage Impact Assessment."

"Jongmyo is a World Heritage site representing the Republic of Korea, and its protection is not only a domestic task but also a pledge to the international community," the statement said, using the official name of South Korea.

Jongmyo is where the ancestral tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) kings and queens are enshrined.

Seoul plans to transform Sewoon District 4 located directly across the UNESCO-listed shrine into a high-rise business and residential district with a massive green park. The area includes the obsolete Sewoon Arcade, Korea's oldest electronics market.

While city officials argue the redevelopment will revitalize the district through new green spaces, heritage officials contend the project could undermine the shrine's historical landscape.

ICOMOS Korea previously urged the city government in November to suspend the project and accept a proposal to review the potential impact on the shrine jointly with the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) and expert groups.

By law, development projects are subject to mandatory heritage impact assessments if they fall within 100 meters of a state-designated cultural heritage site in the capital.

Seoul city authorities, however, have effectively rejected the proposal, noting that Sewoon District 4 sits about 180 meters away from the shrine's boundary.

Tensions have escalated in recent months, with the two sides remaining in a deadlock over whether to conduct the impact assessment and other points of contention.

Earlier this month, the KHS filed a police complaint against the project developer, Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corp., for allegedly violating the Buried Cultural Heritage Protection Act. The agency accused the company of carrying out sudden drilling work without its approval in parts of the redevelopment zone where an archaeological survey had not yet been officially completed.

The complaint came three months after a group of residents in the area sued the state and the heritage agency, seeking 16 billion won (US$10.68 million) in damages caused by delays in the redevelopment project.

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