By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
A 117-year-old church is on the verge of being demolished to make way for the restoration of the older fortress wall that used to surround Seoul.
The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of Seoul City in a lawsuit against the Korean Methodist Church that sought to cancel the city's urbanization plan to demolish the church in Jongno 6-ga.
The ruling means that the city administration's development plan has priority over the value of a historical church and may affect similar disputes surrounding old churches and temples in urban redevelopment areas.
Last October, the city announced its plan to restore the 600-year-old fortress wall surrounding the capital and to create a park on the site of the former East Gate.
The church said the city does not recognize its historical and cultural value and has infringed upon its property rights.
"We formed an emergency committee to discuss the matter. We will announce our countermeasures afterward," said Song Geun-jong of the church.
The church, built in 1890, is known to have played a leading role in the independence movement during Japanese colonial rule.
However, the reconstruction of the fortress takes precedence over the importance of the 117-year-old church, according to the judge.
"The fortress wall was built more than 600 years ago and it has national historical value, but the old church building occupied a part of the wall," the judge said. "The park is for all citizens and promotes the public interest. The church can leave a monument in the park that will preserve its symbolic meaning."
The ruling is exceptional because it took the historical value of a religious building into account, whereas previously they were only considered as private properties.
Similar conflicts are brewing over other urban religious facilities.
Daeseong Temple on Mt. Umyeon is in a dispute with nearby Seoul Arts Center, which has started to build a studio at an outdoor amphitheater site. "The new studio blocks entrance to the temple and the noise from the practice room could hamper monks' ascetic exercises," a temple spokesman said.
However, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the studio was necessary for national troupes residing at the art center and there will not be much noise once the construction is finished.
Yongju Temple in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, is also suffering from environmental disruption following the start of construction of a 15-story apartment complex.
The temple formed a civic group with academic and cultural organizations in the area to preserve royal tombs and the surrounding environment.
Some Buddhist officials say that temples and churches need to accept some changes in line with urbanization programs.
"If they cannot avoid redevelopment, temples in urban areas should actively participate in the process of redevelopment to minimize damage," said an official of the Jogye Order, the largest Korean Buddhism sect. "For example, temples can be rebuilt in a multi-story building with traditional features."