Seoul’s Seoun 4 Redevelopment: Residents Clash with Heritage Authority Over World Heritage Impact

[Anchor] Tensions have flared again over the redevelopment of Sewoon District 4, adjacent to Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. After the National Heritage Agency renewed its call for a World Heritage impact assessment, residents staged a forceful protest, saying they can no longer wait. Lee Ji-hyun reports. [Reporter] Residents in the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment zone near Jongmyo held a rally to denounce the National Heritage Agency. The agency recently issued an administrative order directing Seoul to conduct a World Heritage impact assessment — a move residents say effectively pressures the city to alter the project, prompting collective action. Kim Jong-gil, chairman of the Sewoon District 4 Residents’ Representative Council, said, “We absolutely oppose the administrative order. Cancel that absurd order you sent to the Jongno District Office, Seoul City, and SH. We strongly demand its withdrawal.” The Sewoon District 4 redevelopment has been stalled for more than 20 years. The dispute escalated last October when Seoul City raised the area’s maximum allowable building height to 145 meters (476 ft), more than double the 71.9 meters (236 ft) that the Heritage Agency and the Jongno District Office agreed to in 2018. The Heritage Agency warned that high-rise construction could undermine Jongmyo’s value and issued an administrative order requiring a World Heritage impact assessment. It has since reiterated that it will take further measures if the city proceeds without complying. Seoul City says it deeply recognizes the need to preserve Jongmyo but has pushed back, arguing it also has an unavoidable responsibility to move forward with a redevelopment plan that has been stalled for over two decades. The dispute has broader implications for the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, which will convene in Busan in two months. As chair of the committee, South Korea is expected to play a mediating role, but if the redevelopment adjacent to Jongmyo is placed on the agenda, rules barring interested parties from deliberation could prevent the country from participating. Meanwhile, SH, the project’s implementer, filed an administrative lawsuit on the 12th seeking to annul the Heritage Agency’s administrative order. This is Lee Ji-hyun for Yonhap News TV. [Video photography: Lee Jung-woo, Kim Tae-hyun] [Video editing: Kim Chan] [Graphics: Kim Hyung-seo] Yonhap News TV story inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23 Lee Ji-hyun (ji@yna.co.kr)