Songpa-gu Proposes Coexistence Plan for Preservation and Development of Pungnap-dong

Songpa-gu Proposes a Win-Win Plan for the Preservation and Development of Pungnap-dong to the Cultural Heritage Administration

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu: “The Cultural Heritage Administration’s regulations on Pungnap-dong, which have cost tens of trillions of won in taxes and decades of time, must end now!”

Proposing a Plan for Harmonious Coexistence between Pungnap-dong Cultural Heritage and Local Residents’ Lives to the Cultural Heritage Administration

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, Meets Pungnap-dong Residents Again on His First Anniversary in Office

Perspective View of Pungnap-dong Future City

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) has proposed to the Cultural Heritage Administration a plan for harmonious coexistence between the cultural heritage of Pungnap-dong and the lives of local residents to resolve the issues surrounding Pungnap-dong’s cultural heritage.

Mayor Seo Gang-seok has continuously requested dialogue and consultation with the Cultural Heritage Administration over the past year, urging the easing of excessive regulations imposed by the Administration on Pungnap-dong.

However, the Cultural Heritage Administration has consistently remained unresponsive.

In response, Mayor Seo stated, “We have reached a point where we can no longer overlook the residents’ suffering and the decline of the area,” and explained, “Through a commissioned study, we have prepared a development blueprint that balances Pungnap-dong’s cultural heritage with residents’ lives.”

First, on May 17, the district officially proposed improvements to related regulations to the Cultural Heritage Administration.

The main points include ▲ adjusting zones by excluding areas where the earthen fortress walls are not located from preservation zones based on excavation results ▲ lifting and adjusting regulations that prohibit new building construction ▲ discussing cases requiring on-site preservation through a consultative body involving the Cultural Heritage Administration, Seoul City, Songpa-gu, and Pungnap-dong residents.

The ‘Pungnap-dong Future City Research Project’ announced by Songpa-gu designates zones 1 and 2 (preservation zones), presumed to be fortress walls and royal palaces, for on-site preservation of excavated cultural assets accessible to all, while zones 3 to 5 (management zones) focus on development to restore residents’ property rights.

Specifically, zones 1 and 2 will be developed into a ‘Heritage Site Exhibition Hall and Baekje History and Culture Park’ that reconstructs major buildings such as the Hanseong Baekje government offices and allows visitors to view excavated cultural assets in situ. Zones 3 to 5 will have all current building regulations lifted and be developed into a premium residential area along the Han River, ranging from mid-rise apartment complexes to large-scale high-rise apartment complexes.

Songpa-gu expects this to improve residents’ comfortable living environment while revitalizing the area through the influx of historical and cultural tourists.

Mayor Seo Gang-seok said, “The future vision for Pungnap-dong proposed by Songpa-gu is achievable if the Cultural Heritage Administration resolves some of the regulations,” and added, “We once again request the Cultural Heritage Administration to shift its policy from ‘cultural heritage dictatorship’ to a direction where cultural heritage and residents ‘coexist’.”

Regarding this, Mayor Seo recalled, “The Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration stated in a media contribution on May 29 that ‘it cannot be denied that many regulations have arisen during the process of protecting cultural heritage, significantly affecting the daily lives of residents and businesses,’ and that ‘strong regulatory reforms have been pursued, and this year, efforts to actively improve regulations will continue.’”

He continued, “This year, the Cultural Heritage Administration also reported plans to ease cultural heritage regulations in the presidential work report,” and said, “We warmly welcome the Administrator’s recognition of cultural heritage regulations as a problem and his active commitment to improvement.” He emphasized again, “We hope that the Administration will first implement regulatory easing in Pungnap-dong, where many residents are suffering under what they call a ‘cultural heritage dictatorship.’”

The Pungnap-dong area has been presumed by the Cultural Heritage Administration to be the Baekje royal fortress surrounded by an earthen wall, and since 1993, compensation has been paid to residents to relocate them. Over 30 years, the Administration has invested a massive 1.1 trillion won in compensation. The vacant lots left by compensated residents are fenced off with barbed wire. There are 315 such vacant lots and empty houses scattered throughout Pungnap-dong, resembling missing teeth.

Housing is dilapidated, and the area’s slumification is accelerating. Since 1993, while the overall population of Songpa-gu has increased, Pungnap-dong’s population has decreased by more than 20,000. This population decline is equivalent to the disappearance of a small provincial city, and residents who can no longer endure the inconveniences of daily life continue to leave, blaming the government.

In the ‘Comprehensive Plan for the Preservation and Management of Pungnap Earthen Fortress’ announced this year, the Cultural Heritage Administration maintained unilateral regulations without any consultation with Songpa-gu. The Pungnap-dong area is divided into five zones, with strict building regulations such as prohibiting new housing construction, excavation within 2 meters underground, and buildings taller than 7 floors or 21 meters depending on the zone.

Current View of Pungnap-dong

Regarding this, Mayor Seo asked, “Does the Cultural Heritage Administration intend to continue investing tens of trillions of won of astronomical national taxes over several decades to evict all residents of Pungnap-dong, turn the area into a barren land, and then conduct archaeological excavations?” He pointed out, “Despite presuming it to be the Baekje royal fortress for 30 years, there is no clear evidence from excavations to prove it is indeed a royal fortress.”

He added, “The cultural heritage excavated in Pungnap-dong so far consists only of broken pottery shards,” and questioned, “I want to ask whether such pottery shards justify spending tens of trillions of won in taxes and constraining the lives of tens of thousands of residents for decades.”

Mayor Seo Gang-seok expressed hope, saying, “If Pungnap-dong is well developed and becomes an area where history and culture coexist according to the plan proposed by Songpa-gu, many people will be able to experience Baekje’s history, culture, and traditions through Pungnap-dong, making it a ‘win-win’ city where past and present coexist.”

Meanwhile, over the past year, Mayor Seo has continuously raised the issue of ‘excessive cultural heritage regulations’ on Pungnap-dong, requested a review of cultural heritage policies, sought meetings and site visits with the Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration, and filed petitions for adjudication of authority disputes.

On July 3, marking his first anniversary in office, he met again with Pungnap-dong residents to urge resolution of the Cultural Heritage Administration’s regulations and presented a vision for Pungnap-dong’s future development. On his first day in office last year, Mayor Seo held a meeting with Pungnap-dong residents as his first communication with the community to address the Pungnap-dong issue.

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