This photo, taken on November 11, shows Jongmyo Shrine in central Seoul, surrounded by tall buildings that appear to encroach on the historic site’s skyline. Landowners in Seoul’s Sewoon District 4, near the UNESCO World Heritage site Jongmyo Shrine, have pushed back against the Korea Heritage Service’s objection to the area’s redevelopment project, warning of potential legal action. The group said it would hold the agency accountable if its stance made redevelopment “impossible,” citing possible claims of administrative misconduct, damages, and abuse of authority. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A coalition of South Korean scholars and cultural heritage groups on Wednesday condemned Seoul City’s plan to allow high-rise construction near Jongmyo Shrine, warning that the move could damage the integrity of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
At a joint press conference held in central Seoul, 27 academic societies—including the Korean Archaeological Society and the Korean Society of Architectural History—joined six heritage organizations in calling for the immediate withdrawal of the city’s redevelopment plan for the Sewoon District 4 area, which lies adjacent to the 14th-century royal shrine.
It was the first time that major associations representing archaeology, architecture, and cultural preservation had united to issue a collective statement on the matter.
“The attempt to erect tall buildings that block the sky and view of Jongmyo undermines its dignity and historical value,” the group said in a statement. “Such development would inflict a wound on Korea’s cultural pride.”
Under Seoul’s revised urban plan, buildings in the Sewoon 4 Zone could rise as high as 145 meters. The scholars warned that this would visually overshadow the shrine’s tranquil landscape, violating Korea’s earlier commitment to preserve the site’s authenticity when it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995.
A view of Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site in central Seoul (Yonhap)
Lee Yeon-kyung, an architecture professor at Yonsei University, said that heritage preservation must encompass not just structures but also the surrounding culture and environment. “Jongmyo’s story and the urban landscape of old Hanyang are part of an indivisible whole,” she said.
Jung Hae-deuk, president of the Central Archaeological Society and a history professor at Hanshin University, said the city’s move “puts Korea at risk of breaking the promise it made to the world to protect the shrine when it was designated a World Heritage site.”
The coalition urged Seoul to halt all building permits that could affect the shrine’s skyline and to work with experts and heritage institutions to set new height and layout standards that safeguard Jongmyo’s visual harmony.
Separately, a public petition opposing the high-rise development near Jongmyo has been gaining support on social media.
Jongmyo Shrine, located in the heart of Seoul, houses the ancestral tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire. Designated in 1995 alongside Seokguram Grotto, Bulguksa Temple, and the Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, it is one of South Korea’s first UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
