Minister Choi Hwee Young: "Sewoon Shopping Center Must Follow World Heritage Procedures"

145-Meter Building Dispute Continues for 10 Months in Front of Jongmyo
Minister Pledges "Fundamental Measures" Against Movie Theater Ticket Scalping

Choi Hwiyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is attending and reporting on work at the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly on the 26th. Photo by Yonhap News.

The standoff between the central government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government over the Sewoon Shopping Center in front of Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been ongoing for 10 months. In November of last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government eased height restrictions on buildings in the Sewoon District 4 area, raising the limit from 70 meters to 145 meters. The situation became more complicated when the Supreme Court sided with Seoul in response to a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. On August 26, the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee at the National Assembly became heated once again over this issue.

Hwee Young Choi, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, commented on the redevelopment of Sewoon Shopping Center, stating, "Development and preservation need to be balanced, but preservation, once lost, cannot be restored." He maintained the ministry’s original stance by adding, "All proper procedures, including the World Heritage Impact Assessment, must be strictly followed."

Little progress has been made in working-level talks. Heo Min, Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration, responded to questions from Assemblyman Jeon Junho by saying, "I have met with Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon four times, but the process is proving to be difficult." The conflict was reignited in June when the former head of Jongno-gu district approved a modification to the project implementation plan without consulting the Cultural Heritage Administration. Although the Cultural Heritage Administration requested that Seoul cancel the approval, the city refused, citing that only the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has the authority to issue corrective orders. As a result, the Cultural Heritage Administration cannot directly compel the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Minister Choi stated, "We are once again following the process of having the competent ministry request corrective action," noting that the ministry is now pursuing new corrective procedures through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Choi Huilyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, attended the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly on the 26th and presented a work report. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The issue of ticket scalping in movie theaters was also discussed during the meeting. In response to concerns over rampant scalping of special theater tickets, such as IMAX, amid the box office success of the film "Odyssey," Minister Choi said the ministry would consider fundamental countermeasures. According to Assemblyman Cho Gye-won, there were 391 reports of ticket scalping submitted to the Korean Film Council in just six days between August 19 and August 24. When Assemblyman Cho suggested enacting legislation to eradicate movie ticket scalping—similar to existing laws against scalping for performances and sports—Minister Choi briefly replied, "We will do so."

Questions were also raised about the development of Yongsan Park. Assemblyman Kim Seungsoo inquired why the 'Yongsan Park Children's Cultural Complex Project,' which the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been pursuing for more than 20 years, was put on hold in favor of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's apartment supply plan. Minister Choi responded that there had been no separate discussions with the ministry and that the absence of budget allocation was the reason for the deferral. When Assemblywoman Cho Eunhee asked a similar question, Administrator Heo replied that there had been no discussions at the level of the Cultural Heritage Administration either, but indicated that such talks would be necessary in the future. He stated, "Yongsan Park is related to the U.S. military, so it’s difficult to specify all the details, but if partial development of the site proceeds, we will take any necessary action."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.