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| ▲ This image provided by the Korea Heritage Service on Nov. 17, 2025, shows a computer-generated simulation of the view above Jongmyo Shrine if a 145-meter-tall building were constructed directly across from the site. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- UNESCO has called on South Korea to take strong action over a high-rise redevelopment project near Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site, warning that the construction could threaten the integrity of the historic complex, the nation's heritage chief said Monday.
Huh Min, head of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), said the UN agency's World Heritage Center sent an official letter expressing concern over the city's plan to allow tall buildings in the Sewun District 4 area, located directly across from the royal Confucian shrine.
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| ▲ In this file photo, officials participate in an annual royal ancestral ritual at Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul on May 4, 2025, known as "Jongmyo Daeje." The ritual honors the past kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
Jongmyo is a sacred heritage site where the ancestral tablets of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) are enshrined and carries symbolic significance as one of Korea's first UNESCO World Heritage sites, designated in 1995.
"I recently received a message from UNESCO calling for a strong action," Huh told reporters at the National Palace Museum in central Seoul. "UNESCO explicitly warned that the project could damage the surrounding landscape of Jongmyo and recommended that Seoul receive a Heritage Impact Assessment."
The document, described as a "diplomatic and official communication," was delivered to the KHS through South Korea's permanent delegation to UNESCO on Saturday, he added. The World Heritage Center oversees administrative matters related to the protection of World Heritage sites.
According to Huh, UNESCO advised that the Seoul metropolitan government's approval of the redevelopment project be suspended until the agency and its advisory bodies complete a positive review of the impact assessment.
The project has sparked a standoff between the central government and the Seoul metropolitan government over the city's decision to allow buildings up to 145 meters tall -- more than twice the former height limit -- in the redevelopment zone.
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| ▲ This file photo taken on Nov. 11, 2025, shows Jongmyo Shrine and the Sewun District 4 redevelopment area located across from the shrine. (Yonhap) |
While the central government argues that such high-rises would undermine the shrine's historical landscape, the city contends the project would instead improve the surroundings by creating a broad green space.
During the briefing, the KHS also revealed computer simulations illustrating how 145-meter structures would appear from key viewpoints, including the shrine's main hall, Jeongjeon, its front gate, and the sky above it.
Calling the evaluation process "an internationally recognized preservation mechanism under UNESCO guidelines," Huh urged the local government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the KHS to form a joint consultation body "as soon as possible" to address the issue.
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