Construction Within 500 Meters of Jongmyo Requires Approval from National Heritage Administrator

Re-legislation of the World Heritage Act Enforcement Decree
Four-week notice period begins December 12

Yonhap News Agency

A new system will be introduced requiring approval from the Administrator of the National Heritage Administration for large-scale construction activities within 500 meters of Jongmyo.

On December 10, Heo Min, Administrator of the National Heritage Administration, held a briefing at the Seoul Government Complex and announced, "We have recently completed consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the revised enforcement decree of the World Heritage Act," adding, "We will begin a four-week re-legislation notice period until January 20 next year." The revision is scheduled to be promulgated by March next year after a review by the Ministry of Government Legislation.

The amendment expands the current zone from 100 meters to 500 meters, aiming to manage all impacts from large-scale construction work, including environmental degradation, noise, air, light, and heat.

Last month, Administrator Heo met with Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to explain the issue of high-rise development in the Sewoon District 4 area in front of Jongmyo. At that time, Director Assomo expressed "strong regret over the redevelopment project in front of Jongmyo," but also promised, "We trust the commitment of the Korean government and will cooperate."

Administrator Heo stated, "Since 1995, I have explained in detail to UNESCO the various situations that have occurred around Jongmyo, and they understood everything," adding, "I also explained our government's current situation in detail."

The designation of the Jongmyo World Heritage Zone will be completed this month. Administrator Heo said, "The designation process for the Jongmyo World Heritage Zone is in its final stage in accordance with Article 10 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act."

The National Heritage Administration is also holding coordination meetings with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On December 5, a director-level preliminary coordination meeting was held, attended by six directors from the National Heritage Administration, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Administrator Heo commented, "No agreement has been reached yet on whether to conduct a World Heritage Impact Assessment. We are still in the stage of discussing the overall framework."