Cultural Heritage Administration Chief: "No Procedural Flaws in Daejang-dong Cultural Heritage Investigation"

Kim Eui-gyeom "Application sent by Assemblyman Kwak Sang-do's son approved in two days"
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Cultural heritage sector finds Assemblyman Kwak's son's claims unconvincing

Kim Hyun-mo, Commissioner of the Cultural Heritage Administration, attended the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's audit of the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 5th and received a report from officials before the start of the audit. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

Kim Hyun-mo, the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, stated regarding the allegations surrounding the Daejang-dong development in Seongnam City, "From the cultural heritage perspective, there are no procedural flaws." During a National Assembly audit held on the 5th by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee targeting the Cultural Heritage Administration, he said, "We will conduct a more thorough review of the issues raised by Assemblyman Kwak Sang-do's son concerning cultural heritage," but also added, "We understand that the usual processes required in development projects were properly followed."

Earlier, Kwak's son, Byung-chae, claimed credit for achievements in cultural heritage work after it was revealed that he received 5 billion KRW in severance pay and bonuses from Hwacheon Daeyu, the company leading the Daejang-dong development project. On this day, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee focused on whether there were any issues with the cultural heritage investigation procedures at the time, and whether Assemblyman Kwak, who was a member of the Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee overseeing the Cultural Heritage Administration in 2017 when the cultural heritage survey was conducted in Daejang-dong, exerted any external pressure.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Ui-gyeom, a member of the Open Democratic Party, raised the possibility that Assemblyman Kwak exerted influence based on the partial completion application sent by Seongnam Utdel, the project implementer in 2017, and the approval letter from the Cultural Heritage Administration. He said, "On October 23, 2017, Seongnam Utdel sent an application for permission to separate the discovered and undiscovered cultural heritage areas within the Daejang district, and just two days later, approval was granted," adding, "Under current law, the Cultural Heritage Administration is required to notify results within ten days, so I am curious why the processing was so swift." He further pointed out, "The name of Assemblyman Kwak's son is clearly written at the bottom of the application," and questioned, "Did the Cultural Heritage Administration approve the application sent by a 27-year-old just two days after receiving it as if they had been waiting for it?" Kwak's son had previously cited the partial completion permit for cultural heritage excavation as a major achievement equivalent to the 5 billion KRW severance pay.

Kim also pointed out that the area subject to detailed excavation, which could interfere with the development project, accounted for only 0.15% of the total Daejang district area, and that its location was limited to national rental housing districts unrelated to the private developer. In response, Bae Hyun-jin, a member of the People Power Party, addressed ruling party members, saying, "The cultural heritage management allegations involving Assemblyman Kwak's son arose during the early Moon Jae-in administration and the tenure of Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung," and asked, "Don't you think it would be good to conduct a special investigation?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The cultural heritage community views Assemblyman Kwak's son's claims as unconvincing. While excavation procedures can sometimes be delayed if there is a possibility that important relics might extend to surrounding areas, the Daejang district is considered to have almost no relics. According to the surface survey report of the Daejang district urban development area published by the Central Cultural Heritage Research Institute, the area where excavation began in 2017 included only one site where buried cultural assets were found. The institute noted in a report published the following year, "Among the twelve areas targeted for sample test pits and relic distribution sites, only one area was confirmed to have relics," and "No traces related to buried cultural assets were found in other areas."

During the detailed excavation conducted on a 1,400㎡ relic distribution site, three Joseon Dynasty tombs and three pits of unknown construction periods were discovered. Six artifacts were found in the tombs, including earthenware jars, white porcelain plates, and bronze vessels. Regarding this, experts stated in an advisory opinion, "It is judged that there is no significant academic importance," and added, "No further investigation or preservation measures are necessary, and construction can proceed without issue." In response, Assemblyman Kwak's son explained, "In a situation where cultural heritage was discovered within the project site and construction delays were expected, the discovered and undiscovered sections were separated into different project areas to remove reasons for construction delays."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.