Seoul City: "Deep Regret Over Cultural Heritage Administration's Unilateral Rejection of Jongmyo Landscape Verification"

Jongmyo Shrine and Sewoon District 4, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Regarding the redevelopment of Sewoon District 4 in front of Jongmyo Shrine, the Seoul Metropolitan Government expressed regret, stating that the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea did not permit an on-site verification to determine whether the new buildings would damage the landscape.

On January 7, Lee Minkyoung, spokesperson for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said in a statement, "We deeply regret that the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea unilaterally refused to allow filming from Sangwoldae at Jongmyo Shrine, which the city requested for an objective and public verification of the Sewoon District 4 landscape simulation."

She continued, "We planned to hold an on-site briefing session at Sangwoldae in Jongmyo Shrine on January 8, with the participation of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, members of the press, and the Urban Planning Committee, to openly present the core site of the controversy to the public. However, the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea refused filming for reasons that are difficult to understand."

It is known that the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea denied permission on the grounds of heritage preservation, management, and concerns about the viewing environment.

Previously, when the city eased height restrictions in Sewoon District 4 to 98.7 meters along Jongno and 141.9 meters along Cheonggyecheon, the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea demanded a retraction, claiming it would damage the Jongmyo Shrine landscape. In response, the city attempted to verify the impact by releasing renderings of the view from Sangwoldae, installing advertising balloons at the same height as the proposed buildings, and filming from Hawoldae and the surrounding area.

Spokesperson Lee stated, "This decision, which blocks both the opportunity for objective verification and the city's efforts, raises doubts as to whether the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea is truly willing to resolve the conflict. It even leads us to suspect that there may be an intention to prolong the conflict and amplify unnecessary misunderstandings and distrust."

She added, "Jongmyo Shrine is not something that any single institution can judge or privatize exclusively. It is a shared cultural heritage enjoyed by all citizens of Seoul, and any debate over its value must also be transparently verified in front of the public."