Heritage committee voices strong concerns over Seoul's high-rise plan near Jongmyo Shrine

A bird's-eye view shows Jongmyo Shrine surrounded by autumn woods, Tuesday. Yonhap

An advisory committee of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) expressed strong concerns on Thursday over the Seoul Metropolitan Government's plan to build high-rise buildings near the historic Jongmyo Shrine.

The Cultural Heritage Committee under the KHS criticized the city's development plan for the Sewun 4 District, located across from the 14th-century Confucian shrine, describing it as "a move that disregards social consensus."

The committee, tasked with studying and deliberating on matters related to preservation and management of cultural heritage sites, said it is "following the series of developments seriously."

The committee emphasized it had already reached an agreement with the city in 2018, allowing buildings up to 55 meters overlooking the Jongno area and up to 71.9 meters overlooking Cheonggye Stream.

"We reached this solution through years of consultation and review, with agreement from all parties involved," it said, calling it "the product of coordination where preservation and development can coexist."

The city, however, has recently increased the maximum heights to 101 and 145 meters, respectively.

Denouncing the city's height revision, the committee said the move disregards social consensus and demonstrates a clear bias in favor of development interests.

It urged the city to conduct a World Heritage Impact Assessment, noting that the preservation of Jongmyo's value constitutes "an international commitment and obligation."

Jongmyo, one of Korea's earliest UNESCO World Heritage sites, was inscribed in 1995 for its outstanding universal value as the oldest and most intact royal Confucian shrine. According to the KHS, UNESCO's original inscription condition explicitly stipulated that no high-rise building permits be granted in the adjacent areas that could harm the landscape of the World Heritage site.