Gimpo Jangneung Apartment Cultural Heritage Committee Review Fails... Leading to Legal Dispute

Daebang Construction Withdraws Application for Change of Status Permission... Court to Decide Whether It Is Subject to Review

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The issue of apartments in Incheon Geomdan New Town, constructed without permission in the Gimpo Jangneung Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area, is set to be resolved in court. On the 23rd, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that Daebang Construction, which is building the apartments, has withdrawn its application for alteration permission. Alteration refers to actions that change the current state of cultural heritage and its surrounding environment. Nationally designated cultural heritage sites are reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Committee. Gimpo Jangneung is a nationally designated historic site and a UNESCO World Heritage site (Joseon Royal Tombs). Another construction company, Daekwang ENC (construction by Daekwang Geonyeong) and JS Global (construction by Geumseong Baekjo), withdrew their review requests on the 8th, ahead of the Cultural Heritage Committee’s review. With Daebang Construction also changing course, the Cultural Heritage Committee’s review was completely canceled.

The "2nd Royal Tombs-World Heritage Joint Subcommittee," which reviews the development of apartment complexes around the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site "Gimpo Jangneung," was held privately on the 28th at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The three construction companies are developing forty-four apartment buildings with about 3,400 units near Jangneung. The Cultural Heritage Administration has been conducting the Cultural Heritage Committee’s review since August because nineteen of the buildings are located within the Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area. They consider this a violation of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act due to the lack of prior review. The construction companies argue that Incheon Urban Corporation, which sold the apartment land in 2014, applied for alteration permission from Gimpo City Hall, so there is no problem. They requested permission only to change the exterior wall colors and designs of the apartments. The Cultural Heritage Committee judged that the value of Gimpo Jangneung could not be maintained with improvement plans that did not adjust building heights. In fact, the Joseon Royal Tombs, including Gimpo Jangneung, were recognized for their outstanding universal value during the World Heritage evaluation due to their unique nature-friendly burial traditions and tomb garden construction (陵園造營).

The Cultural Heritage Administration and the three construction companies are engaged in legal disputes over whether to halt construction. In the first trial of the construction companies’ application for suspension of the construction halt order, the court allowed construction on seven buildings by Daebang Construction, citing their relative distance from Jangneung. However, in the second trial, the court ruled in favor of all three construction companies. The Cultural Heritage Administration has filed a retrial with the Supreme Court. Separately, JS Global and Daekwang ENC have announced they will seek a court ruling on whether apartments within the Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area are subject to the Cultural Heritage Committee’s alteration review. Geumseong Baekjo stated, "Incheon Urban Corporation, which obtained alteration permission for the land in 2014, has consistently confirmed that the construction companies’ housing project plans are legal." They argue that separate review by the Cultural Heritage Committee is not required when constructing buildings.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Cultural Heritage Administration views the alteration procedures for land and buildings as separate matters. It plans to focus on maintaining the World Heritage status of the Joseon Royal Tombs and protecting the historical and cultural environment of Gimpo Jangneung. UNESCO designates World Heritage sites at risk of damage as "World Heritage in Danger." If it judges that the outstanding universal value has been lost, it can revoke the World Heritage status. In fact, the Liverpool port in the UK, designated as a "World Heritage in Danger" site in 2012, lost its World Heritage status this year.

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