Minister Choi Hwiyoung: "I Will Block Seoul’s Sewoon Redevelopment That Damages Jongmyo’s Value"

Minister Choi Visits Jongmyo One Day After Supreme Court Defeat
"Will Amend Relevant Laws and Pursue New Legislation to Protect Jongmyo"

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwiyoung declared, "As the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, I will utilize every possible means to take the lead in protecting Jongmyo, our cultural heritage," and stated that he would do everything in his power to block the controversial redevelopment plan for Sewoon Shopping Center by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

On November 7, Minister Choi, accompanied by Heo Min, Director of the National Heritage Administration, visited Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and made it clear that he opposes the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s redevelopment plan for Sewoon Shopping Center, which has sparked controversy over the construction of a super high-rise building in front of Jongmyo.

Minister Choi emphasized, "Jongmyo is a sacred heritage site where the ancestral tablets of the Joseon royal family are enshrined, and as Korea’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, it holds symbolic value and is a source of national pride as a cultural powerhouse." He expressed deep concern over the current situation, stating, "Nevertheless, it is extremely worrisome that such value could be damaged." He added, "We will pursue amendments to relevant laws such as the 'Act on the Preservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage' and the 'Special Act on the Preservation, Management, and Utilization of World Heritage.' If necessary, we will also push for the enactment of new legislation." He further instructed, "Director Heo Min, please promptly review and report all possible measures, including the enactment and amendment of laws."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Huieong visited the Jongno-gu World Heritage Site Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul on the 7th and announced his position and measures regarding the recent redevelopment plan of Sewoon Shopping Center by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Minister Choi and Director Heo visited Jongmyo just one day after losing a Supreme Court case regarding the "Confirmation of Invalidity of the Resolution to Amend the Seoul Metropolitan City Ordinance on the Protection of Cultural Heritage." They expressed regret over the Supreme Court’s decision and reaffirmed their opposition to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s redevelopment plan for Sewoon Shopping Center.

Since 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Seoul Metropolitan Government have been at odds over the redevelopment plan for Sewoon Shopping Center, located across from Jongmyo.

According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, the mayor or provincial governor must designate a "historic and cultural environment preservation area" by ordinance, in consultation with the Director of the National Heritage Administration, to protect the historical and cultural environment of designated cultural heritage sites. The Seoul Metropolitan City Ordinance on Cultural Heritage Protection defines the preservation area as within 100 meters of the outer boundary of nationally designated heritage sites. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment site, currently under development, is 180 meters away from Jongmyo.

Originally, the Seoul ordinance included a provision that required a review of permits even outside the 100-meter preservation area if it was determined that a project would clearly impact the cultural heritage. However, in September 2023, the Seoul Metropolitan Government deleted this provision, citing excessive regulation, which triggered the conflict with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Ministry argued that the deletion of the provision without consultation with the Director of the National Heritage Administration violated the principle of legal supremacy, and filed a lawsuit against the Seoul Metropolitan Government in October 2023. However, the Supreme Court sided with the Seoul Metropolitan Government the previous day.

Choi Hwiyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (right), is inspecting the impact of the redevelopment plan of Sewoon Shopping Center in Seoul with Heo Min, Director of the National Heritage Administration, at the Jongmyo Shrine, a World Heritage site in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 7th.
Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, on October 30, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a change in the height plan for Sewoon District 4 through the "Decision (Amendment) on the Redevelopment Promotion District and District 4 Redevelopment Promotion Plan and Topographic Map." According to this announcement, the height limit for buildings along the Jongno side was eased from 55 meters to 98.7 meters, and for the Cheonggyecheon side from 71.9 meters to 141.9 meters.

Minister Choi strongly criticized this, calling it "reckless, unplanned development reminiscent of the 1960s and 1970s," and emphasized, "Such plans, which undermine our pride as a cultural powerhouse, must be stopped at all costs."

Director Heo Min expressed deep regret in response to a related question from Assemblyman Kim Jaewon of the Innovation Party of the Fatherland at the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts the previous day. Director Heo warned, "If a high-rise building is constructed across from Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, there is a risk that Jongmyo could be listed as a 'heritage in danger,' and its World Heritage status could be revoked."

Jongmyo is a national shrine where the ancestral tablets of the kings and queens, emperors and empresses of the Joseon Dynasty and the Korean Empire are enshrined and ancestral rites are performed. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, along with Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, and the Janggyeong Panjeon of Haeinsa Temple, as Korea’s first World Heritage sites.

According to the National Heritage Administration, UNESCO specified at the time of Jongmyo’s inscription as a World Heritage site that "the issuance of permits for high-rise buildings in nearby areas that could adversely affect the landscape within the World Heritage zone must be prevented."