[Interview] Seogangseok, Songpa District Mayor, "We Will Correct the Violation of Property Rights of Pungnap Toseong Residents"

"We will respond to the Cultural Heritage Administration, which forces residents to sacrifice their property rights, and protect our autonomous authority."

Songpa-gu filed a constitutional dispute trial with the Constitutional Court on the 16th of last month, requesting the cancellation of the "Pungnap Toseong Preservation and Management Comprehensive Plan" announced by the Cultural Heritage Administration earlier this year.

Seo Gang-seok, the district mayor, stated, "The residents of Pungnap-dong have shed tears through long years of sacrifice and suffering to protect Pungnap Toseong," and explained the reason for filing the trial, saying, "We will restore the basic rights of Pungnap-dong residents, who have been restricted for nearly 30 years under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act." Seo added, "The aging of buildings in this area, built in the 1980s, is rapidly progressing and threatening residents' safety," and explained, "We have requested meetings with the Cultural Heritage Administration and submitted opinions to lift building regulations, continuously demanding a policy shift regarding Pungnap Toseong cultural heritage."

Seogangseok, Mayor of Songpa District

However, Seo said that the Cultural Heritage Administration did not accept Songpa-gu's opinions when establishing the "Pungnap Toseong Preservation and Management Comprehensive Plan" in January this year. In the second half of last year, he resolved the issue of delays in the reconstruction project of Jamsil Jinju Apartments caused by cultural heritage excavations. Seo said, "A Baekje-era stove was found at the 2,700-unit Jinju Apartment reconstruction site," and explained, "The Cultural Heritage Administration ordered a halt to construction, but the stove is not a cultural heritage under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act. We explained to the Cultural Heritage Administration that it is not a cultural heritage and that the construction delay is causing enormous damage, leading to the completion of cultural heritage relocation and preservation measures within four months." Seo further asserted, "While we must not neglect preserving and passing down the nation's cultural heritage, regulations for cultural heritage protection must have clear grounds."

Seo concluded, "We will continue to strongly demand a policy shift regarding cultural heritage such as Pungnap Toseong through various measures, including constitutional dispute trials at the Constitutional Court, meetings with the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, and requests for site visits."

Reporter Park Jong-il