Clash over Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine pits preservation against urban development

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Clash over Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine pits preservation against urban development

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 18:18 Updated: 25 Nov. 2025, 17:03

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Autumn foliage surrounds Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 14. [NEWS1]

[EXPLAINER]

Would new skyscrapers spoil the protected landscape of Jongmyo Shrine, a Unesco World Heritage site in central Seoul?

The question emerged after the Seoul Metropolitan Government late last month released a revised redevelopment plan for Sewoon District No. 4 in Jongno District, relaxing height restrictions to allow buildings up to 142 meters (466 feet).

As the dispute broadened and public outcry intensified, even Unesco stepped in, calling on the city to halt development approvals in the area and to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), warning that the new towers could threaten the shrine’s historic vista.

The HIA evaluates how development may affect cultural properties and aims to protect a site's Outstanding Universal Value, which Unesco defines as “cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.”

Under the city’s updated blueprint, the district could see buildings rise to 142 meters in an area that has sat largely vacant for years while awaiting redevelopment. Landowners, eager for movement on a project stalled for nearly two decades, welcomed the shift.

But the central government pushed back. The Korea Heritage Service, joined by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, warned that the taller buildings could undermine the shrine’s scenic and symbolic value, reigniting a debate over how Seoul should balance growth with the protection of one of its most symbolic cultural sites.

Sewoon District No. 4, located across from Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, central Seoul, stands vacant as it awaits redevelopment on Nov. 14. [NEWS1]

How did the dispute begin?

The dispute began after the city announced the plan on Oct. 30, raising height limits in Sewoon District No. 4 from 55 meters to 98.7 meters on the Jongno side and from 71.9 meters to 141.9 meters along the Cheonggyecheon. It was the first height change since 2018.

The 32,224-square-meter (7.96-acre) district has been marked for redevelopment since 2006, but strict height rules and heritage reviews have repeatedly delayed progress. The area sits between Jongmyo to the north and Cheonggyecheon to the south. The revised blueprint calls for buildings under 20 floors on the Jongno side and offices and officetels under 38 floors along Cheonggyecheon.

Tensions escalated after the Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 6 that a Seoul Metropolitan Council amendment to the city’s cultural heritage ordinance was valid. The amendment, passed in September 2023, removed a provision restricting construction outside officially designated preservation zones. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had argued that the amendment required consultation with the Korea Heritage Service and filed the complaint.

What is the significance of Jongmyo?

Jongmyo Shrine houses the ancestral tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) royalty and was the setting for royal memorial rites and seasonal rituals. Unesco describes it as the oldest and most authentic surviving Confucian royal shrine.

The shrine is also known for the Jerye, a royal ancestral ritual, and Jeryeak, its accompanying music and dance. The ritual and music are registered on Unesco's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Visitors line up to purchase tickets for Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 16. [YONHAP]

Jongmyo was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list in 1995 and remains one of central Seoul’s most valued historic sites, surrounded by ancient trees and traditional structures.

Across from the shrine stands Makercity Sewoon, Korea’s first mixed-use residential and electronics complex. In the 1970s and ’80s, the area was a symbol of Korea's modernization, where people could find almost anything from clothing to electronics. It later fell on hard times, but the neighborhood is now linked by a skywalk that connects seven commercial buildings, stretching over both Cheonggyecheon and the popular Euljiro district.

What are the responses of the Korea Heritage Service and the central government?

The Korea Heritage Service argues that high-rise buildings across from Jongmyo could disturb the visual balance between the shrine and its natural surroundings and erode its solemn atmosphere.

The agency also criticized the city for adjusting height limits unilaterally after years of joint review with the Cultural Heritage Committee, which has maintained a 71.9-meter cap since 2018. It said Seoul did not follow the consultation procedures recommended by Unesco, which has repeatedly warned that tall buildings may affect key sightlines.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Heritage Service to review protective measures and coordinate closely with the city, saying that Jongmyo is a national asset that should not be altered by a single municipal decision.

The government has since moved to revise regulations under the Framework Act on National Heritage. On Nov. 13, the Korea Heritage Service designated an area around Jongmyo’s perimeter wall as a new World Heritage Zone and is preparing revisions that would require impact assessments for developments that could affect the shrine.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, center, Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min, center left, and National Museum of Korea Director You Hong-june, center right, visit Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Nov. 10, following the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s revised redevelopment plan for the area. [NEWS1]

What is the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s stance?

The city maintains that Sewoon District No. 4 lies about 180 meters beyond Jongmyo’s protected boundary and therefore falls outside the 100-meter preservation zone defined by national law. It argues that the project is not subject to mandatory height limits.

Officials say they voluntarily applied the angular-plane standard used to limit visual intrusions near heritage sites. Under that formula, buildings could theoretically rise to 101.1 meters on the Jongno side and 149.4 meters on the Cheonggyecheon side. The city says it lowered those figures to 98.7 and 141.9 meters to protect the view.

At a Seoul Metropolitan Council session on Tuesday, Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented a 3-D skyline simulation produced by the city government and said the taller buildings would not heavily intrude on the shrine’s vista.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveils the city’s rendered image of skyscrapers planned for Sewoon District No. 4 during a city council session on Nov. 18. [NEWS1]

Why did the city relax height restrictions?

City officials say the change is part of a broader effort to restore a green axis running from Mount Namsan to Jongmyo. Under the “green ecological urban core” project, Mayor Oh plans to redevelop seven sites — from Sewoon Plaza near Jongmyo to Jinyang Arcade on Toegye-ro — into a continuous green corridor three times the size of Gwanghwamun Square. Developers will be required to provide public green areas or plazas in return for eased height and density limits.

The city also argues that previous height caps left too little usable floor area to make redevelopment financially feasible. Allowing taller buildings, it says, will help balance economic viability with public amenities.

A rendered image provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government shows how skyscrapers built in Sewoon District No. 4 under the city’s relaxed height restrictions would appear from the main hall of Jongmyo Shrine. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

What does Unesco say?

Unesco has asked the city to suspend its unilateral approval of the Sewoon plan and conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment.

“Unesco expressed significant concern about the current situation and pointed out the potential for damage to Jongmyo’s landscape, requesting a thorough heritage impact assessment,” Huh Min, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, said Monday at the National Palace Museum of Korea.

Huh said Unesco’s diplomatic letter was forwarded to the city and included a request to submit assessment results to the World Heritage Center and refrain from approving development in Sewoon District No. 4 and nearby areas until a review is completed.

What is the public’s reaction?

Civic groups have urged stronger protection of Jongmyo’s cultural value. One group sent a letter to Unesco requesting an assessment, arguing that the shrine’s solemn atmosphere would be permanently damaged if surrounded by skyscrapers.

Landowners reacted sharply, calling the dispute discriminatory. In a statement on Wednesday, they pointed to Seonjeongneung in Gangnam — designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 2009 — which sits amid a dense cluster of high-rise buildings in the district’s central business area.

Is a Heritage Impact Assessment required?

Sewoon District No. 4 is about 180 meters from Jongmyo’s outer wall and more than 500 meters from its main hall. Under current rules, the area lies outside the 100-meter preservation zone, meaning automatic height limits do not apply. The city says the project is not subject to the types of developments that require a Heritage Impact Assessment under the World Heritage Act.

The Korea Heritage Service says it has sent Unesco’s recommendation for an assessment to the city three times since March but has not received a response.

A rendered image provided by the Korea Heritage Service shows skyscrapers constructed in Sewoon District No. 4 according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s relaxation of height restrictions.[KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

Under Article 10 of the World Heritage Act, the Korea Heritage Service can designate a World Heritage Zone to protect a site’s Outstanding Universal Value. Once it has defined such a zone, the agency can request impact assessments for projects that could affect the property, even if those projects lie outside the zone.

The agency designated Jongmyo as a World Heritage Zone on Nov. 13, but the move does not automatically trigger assessments because the presidential decree governing the system has yet to be issued. The new designation applies only to the interior of Jongmyo, since no separate buffer zone has been established. The designation does not necessarily affect the city’s argument that the Sewoon site, located about 180 meters away, is not subject to mandatory height restrictions.

The controversy is likely to continue. Mayor Oh, during the city council questioning on Tuesday, rejected Unesco’s recommendation, saying that by law, a buffer zone must first be designated by the Korea Heritage Service and that such action would also require approval from residents.

In a document sent Saturday, Unesco asked the Korean government to respond to its request for an assessment within a month.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]