ExclusiveUNESCO warns historic Seoul shrine could end up on endangered heritage list

The main hall of Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul, Nov. 10. Yonhap

UNESCO has issued a caution regarding a development plan near a royal ancestral site in Seoul that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, saying Jongmyo Shrine could end up on the List of World Heritage in Danger if the project is deemed to have significantly undermined its value.

Following a recent Supreme Court verdict approving the city government’s decision to lift the height limit in Sewoon District 4 ― about 180 meters from the shrine ― UNESCO said it has begun formal monitoring and has requested detailed information from the Korean authorities.

“UNESCO has formally requested information from the Korean authorities on this matter, for review by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies of the World Heritage Committee (the governing body of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention consisting of 21 elected States Parties) and also for possible examination of the state of conservation of the property at the upcoming World Heritage Committee session in July 2026,” a UNESCO spokesperson said in a statement sent to The Korea Times recently.

UNESCO said any future projects near the site should be subject to rigorous heritage impact assessments in order to assess potential impacts on the features of the site that justify the shrine’s inclusion on the World Heritage List.

“If the assessed impact translates into potential danger to these key features of the site, the World Heritage Committee could consider its inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger,” it added.

Under the World Heritage Convention, the U.N. agency has the authority to revoke World Heritage status if a site no longer meets the criteria for which it was originally inscribed. A notable example is Germany’s Dresden Elbe Valley, which lost its World Heritage status in 2009 due to a bridge that was built “in the heart of the cultural landscape.”

This statement comes amid intensifying friction between the Seoul city government and the central administration under President Lee Jae Myung. Last week, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok publicly criticized the development plan and expressed his intent to tighten relevant laws and regulations to help protect cultural heritage in its current form.

On Thursday, the Korea Heritage Service designated a large area surrounding the shrine as a “World Heritage District,” officially recognizing its need for extra protection due to its historical importance. The move came alongside calls from liberal politicians for further assessment before construction begins.

But the city government dismissed the move, saying it is still not legally required to conduct any more assessments for the development project to proceed. It also faulted the heritage agency for failing to establish and maintain adequate preservation regulations over an extended period.

“Although designating the area as a World Heritage District is a prerequisite for carrying out a World Heritage impact assessment, the Korea Heritage Service admitted that it repeatedly called for such assessments without first undertaking the necessary designation,” the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Friday. “Even though UNESCO World Heritage inscription requires both a ‘heritage zone’ and a ‘buffer zone’ to be set, Jongmyo Shrine’s buffer zone still remains undefined even 30 years after its inscription.”

Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the construction project would not harm the value of the heritage site and, when completed, it would make the site stand out as a more dignified landmark.

“The Sewoon District project is not simply a redevelopment scheme for constructing high-rise buildings. The plan envisions establishing a vast green corridor stretching from Jongmyo Shrine to Toegye-ro, and creating a vibrant ‘work-live-play’ city through development that carefully blends green spaces and tall buildings on either side,” Oh said on Sunday in a social media post. “Through simulations, we have already confirmed that even if building heights are increased on either side of Jongmyo, the visual corridor remains unobstructed and the surrounding landscape is preserved. We will release the detailed results soon.”