Sewoon District 4 Ruins Preservation Plan Deferred Again... This Time, "We Will Conduct an On-Site Inspection"

Preservation plan for ruins deferred again... Reconsideration after on-site inspection
World Heritage Impact Assessment lawsuit to begin October 21
Residents: "Infringement of property rights"; Korea Heritage Service: "Assessment required"
Project implementation plan approval under legal review by Jongno District and others

The preservation plan for the ruins in Sewoon District 4, drawn up by the Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH), an organization under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, has once again failed to pass government review. An administrative lawsuit challenging the government’s order to conduct a World Heritage Impact Assessment is also scheduled to begin this month, raising expectations that the conflict between the government and Seoul over the redevelopment of Sewoon District 4 in front of Jongmyo Shrine will intensify.

According to the urban renewal industry on October 13, the National Heritage Committee, an advisory body to the Korea Heritage Service, recently reconsidered SH’s “Plan for Preserving Ruins at the Site of the Sewoon District 4 Urban Environment Improvement Project” and again decided to defer its decision.

A view of Jongmyo Shrine and Sewoon District 4 in Seoul. Yonhap News.

The National Heritage Committee deferred its review of SH’s proposal last August. At the time, the committee agreed that it would need to reconsider the plan after changes to the project implementation plan had been finalized. In response, SH objected and requested that the committee disclose the specific reasons and criteria behind its decision and resume the review.

However, it has emerged that the committee decided during its latest review to conduct an on-site inspection. The committee told SH, “After reviewing the preservation plan proposed by the project implementer in detail, we determined that a reconsideration is necessary following an on-site inspection of some of the proposed preservation locations and methods.”

The committee also effectively rejected a “conditional approval” approach, under which it would review the adequacy of the preservation plan while allowing the project proposed by SH to proceed. The approach was intended to enable development alongside the protection of cultural heritage, secure procedures for addressing future changes, and minimize project delays caused by prolonged litigation. The committee did not disclose the specific scope or schedule of the on-site inspection.

The review concerns an I-mun, or village gate, from the Joseon Dynasty and related archaeological features identified during excavations, as well as a drainage channel on the northern side of the site. SH planned to relocate the I-mun to an open space above ground on the eastern side and move the earlier remains and drainage channel. The plan, which has received residents’ consent, also includes expanding the existing space for displaying excavation materials and establishing it on the first basement level. SH said, “A preservation plan for the same ruins was already reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Committee in January 2024, and SH incorporated the requirements set out at the time and revised its preservation plan accordingly.”

The problem is that the rift between the two sides is widening. The administrative lawsuit filed by SH in response to the Korea Heritage Service’s order to conduct a World Heritage Impact Assessment is set to begin on October 21. The Korea Heritage Service ordered SH to “conduct a World Heritage Impact Assessment in accordance with the Special Act on the Preservation, Management and Utilization of World Heritage, and revise and adjust the project implementation plan to reflect the results.” SH filed suit, saying the service had “issued an implementation order for a project that is being pursued lawfully.”

The approval of the project implementation plan for the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment, for which the public notice has already been issued, is also undergoing a review of its legal and administrative validity. Jongno District, the local authority with jurisdiction over the site, issued the public notice approving the project implementation plan shortly before the outgoing district mayor, who was affiliated with the People Power Party, left office. The current district mayor, who is affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, believes there are problems with the approval.

SH argues that the legality of the project should be upheld, saying the validity of an existing approval cannot be denied on the basis of the uncertain possibility that it might be revoked in the future. Residents, too, are objecting to the Korea Heritage Service’s demand for a World Heritage Impact Assessment, calling it “an illegal act of obstructing permits and approvals without any legal basis.”

The Korea Heritage Service has taken a firm stance. Korea Heritage Service Administrator Heo Min told the National Assembly last week, “The Sewoon district is surrounded by buildings, and it would be contradictory to allow buildings of the same height to be built there. The assessment must therefore be conducted in accordance with the value of the World Heritage site.” The Seoul Metropolitan Government, meanwhile, maintains that the participation of residents, including landowners who are the project’s stakeholders, must be a prerequisite for a World Heritage Impact Assessment. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stressed, “The site is 180 meters from the outer gate of Jongmyo Shrine, so it would not be subject to an assessment even if it were designated as a heritage buffer zone, which extends 100 meters.”

Police are investigating the drilling work carried out by SH for the architectural design of the project site. In March, the Korea Heritage Service filed a complaint with police, alleging that SH had violated the Buried Heritage Act by drilling to a depth of up to approximately 38 meters at the Sewoon District 4 site without a permit.

Drilling at the buried cultural heritage excavation site in Seoul's Sewoon 4 District. The Asia Business Daily

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