[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Pledged to UNESCO to Demolish by 2012, but Korea National University of Arts' Uireung Annex Still Stands 14 Years On

Government pledged demolition and restoration during the Joseon Royal Tombs' inscription process

No site selected despite five relocation studies; June-end roadmap deadline also missed

UNESCO says relocation plan has been "postponed indefini

The Seokgwan-dong annex of Korea National University of Arts, located within Uireung Royal Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Seoul, remains in place more than 14 years after the government’s promised demolition deadline to the international community. Although five research projects have been conducted to identify potential relocation sites, no site has been selected, and the relocation roadmap that was to be prepared by the end of June this year has yet to be released.

A view of the Seokgwan-dong Campus of Korea National University of Arts. The government promised to demolish the annex at the campus when the Joseon Royal Tombs were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but its relocation has been delayed for years. Korea National University of Arts

According to documents submitted by the National Heritage Administration to Rep. Kim Jae-won of the Rebuilding Korea Party, the government pledged to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) during the 2009 inscription of the Joseon Royal Tombs on the UNESCO World Heritage List that it would demolish Korea National University of Arts facilities within Uireung by 2012. The pledge was disclosed at an audit by the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Heritage Administration on October 8.

At the time, ICOMOS asked the Korean government to clearly specify when the Korea National University of Arts facilities within Uireung would be relocated and demolished as part of its review of the Joseon Royal Tombs’ nomination. In its official response in February 2009, the government submitted a plan to demolish the facilities and restore the royal tomb site, setting 2012 as the deadline for demolition.

Documents from the 2009 inscription of the Joseon Royal Tombs also included a plan to demolish the Korea National University of Arts facilities at Uireung by 2012. However, 14 years after the promised deadline and 17 years after the site’s inscription on the World Heritage List, the relocation and demolition of the annex have yet to be completed.

There have been efforts to discuss relocation. From 2011 to 2019, Korea National University of Arts commissioned five research projects to examine potential relocation sites and options. Areas near Seokgwan-dong, the site of the Changdong train depot following its relocation, and Gwacheon were considered, but none led to the selection of a site. No further research into potential sites has been conducted in the six years since 2019.

In a report published in July 2026, the National Assembly Research Service also concluded that discussions about relocating Korea National University of Arts had been deadlocked for a prolonged period. It noted, however, that the annex area covered by the government’s 2009 pledge and the main building area differ in their legal and policy implications for relocation and demolition, so the scope and stages of relocation should be considered separately. In other words, the issue of demolishing the entire Korea National University of Arts campus should not be treated as the same as the pledge to demolish the annex within Uireung.

UNESCO is continuing to monitor the issue. The results of a joint monitoring mission to the Joseon Royal Tombs conducted in March 2025 by the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) noted that Korea National University of Arts was still operating within Uireung and that difficulties in pursuing its relocation had effectively postponed the plan indefinitely.

The report recommended developing a short-term solution along with a long-term relocation plan, noting that facilities such as Korea National University of Arts are becoming difficult to reconcile with the long-term goal of preserving World Heritage Sites. The World Heritage Committee had also formally reviewed progress on demolishing buildings around Uireung in 2024.

The government set a new schedule this year, but it was not met. At a meeting on June 12, 2026, attended by officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea National University of Arts and the National Heritage Administration, the participants agreed to finalize by June 30 a roadmap covering the relocation site and budget, as well as a plan for a heritage impact assessment (HIA) for Uireung.

However, the National Heritage Administration asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism twice, in July and September, for an update on relocation efforts, but had received no response as of October 8. Rep. Kim said, "The promise to finalize a relocation roadmap by the end of June has also gone unmet for more than 100 days."

Time is running short. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has asked the Korean government to submit by December 1 a report on the state of conservation of the Joseon Royal Tombs and progress in implementing its recommendations. The National Assembly Research Service said the report should include a realistic, actionable timeline and plan for relocating and demolishing the Korea National University of Arts facilities.

At the audit that day, Huh Min, Administrator of the National Heritage Administration, said that the agency would meet with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism again on October 27 to discuss the delayed relocation roadmap.

Rep. Kim said, "Given the time needed to finalize the plan, translate it and complete the submission procedures through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is not much time left," adding, "Rather than waiting for a response from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Heritage Administration should draw up its own relocation plan and ask the relevant ministries for their cooperation."

The relocation of the Korea National University of Arts Seokgwan-dong annex is not simply a matter of moving a school; it is also tied to fulfilling a commitment made to the international community at the time of the World Heritage inscription. As discussions over potential sites and the scope of relocation have continued for 17 years, the 2012 demolition deadline set by the government itself has been exceeded by 14 years.

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