Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young visited Jongmyo Shrine on Friday, vowing to take every possible measure, including legal revisions, to prevent high-rise buildings from being built across from the UNESCO World Heritage site. The visit followed the Supreme Court's ruling the previous day upholding the Seoul metropolitan council's approval of a revised local ordinance that clears the way for such developments. Chae strongly criticized the city government's handling of the issue.
Jongmyo Shrine, located in central Seoul, is a sacred heritage site where the ancestral tablets of the Joseon royal family are enshrined. It was inscribed as Korea's first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995 for its outstanding universal value as the oldest and most intact royal Confucian shrine in existence.
During the visit with Huh Min, head of the Korea Heritage Service, Chae told reporters, "Jongmyo is a sacred heritage site where the ancestral tablets of the Joseon royal family are enshrined, and it holds symbolic significance as Korea's first UNESCO World Heritage site." He added, "It is deeply concerning that the value of such heritage could be damaged under the current circumstances."
Chae strongly criticized the city government's handling, saying, "What kind of bizarre situation is this? I simply cannot understand the attitude of the Seoul metropolitan government, which seems to believe it can do whatever it wants just because it holds limited authority."
He instructed Huh to swiftly review all possible countermeasures, including legal revisions. Huh stated, "Imagine ultra-high-rise buildings surrounding a World Heritage site, towering over it from above. We will use every means available to protect its World Heritage status."
Last month, the city government revised its redevelopment plan for the Sewun 4 District, located just across from the shrine, raising the maximum building height from 71.9 meters to 145 meters—more than double the previous cap. Huh warned during a National Assembly session Thursday that the plan could jeopardize Jongmyo's UNESCO inscription, as the designation explicitly required no high-rise buildings in adjacent areas that could harm the site's landscape.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had previously filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify the council's 2023 decision to remove a provision restricting development near cultural heritage sites, arguing the change was made without required consultation with the heritage service. However, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the council Thursday, deeming it a lawful exercise of legislative authority.