'World Heritage' Architectural Regulations Around Suwon Hwaseong to Be Significantly Relaxed After 15 Years

Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun is speaking at the "Regulation Relaxation Around Suwon Hwaseong" briefing held at the Suwon City Media Center on the 21st.

Development is expected to become freer beyond 200 meters outside the outer boundary of the World Cultural Heritage site, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

On the 21st, Suwon City held a “Suwon Hwaseong Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area Regulation Relaxation Briefing” at the Suwon Media Center, announcing that it will actively protect citizens' property rights while enhancing and properly preserving the value of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

Earlier, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced the “Adjustment of Permissible Standards for Construction Activities within the Suwon Hwaseong Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area,” which includes easing construction permission standards around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.

At the briefing, Mayor Lee Jae-jun of Suwon said, “The area around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, designated as a historical and cultural environment preservation area, has faced difficulties in development due to building height restrictions, leading to aging buildings and slum-like villages. Suwon City has continuously worked to resolve the difficulties faced by residents living in the preservation area and has finally achieved the result of regulation relaxation.”

The historical and cultural environment preservation area serves as a buffer zone between cultural heritage sites and outer regions to protect the value of cultural assets. It is set within 500 meters from the outer boundary, regulating building heights.

Regulations around Suwon Hwaseong Fortress began in 2008, and in 2010, the regulation standards were revised to control building heights by zone within a 500-meter radius outside the fortress walls, ranging from a minimum of 8 meters to a maximum of 51 meters.

The area of the Suwon Hwaseong historical and cultural environment preservation zone is 5.036㎢, accounting for 4.2% of Suwon City's total area, with 53,889 households (approximately 107,000 people) residing within the preservation area.

With this regulation relaxation, the 200?500 meter zone outside Suwon Hwaseong Fortress can now be managed under Suwon City's urban planning ordinances and related laws. The zone covers an area of 2.19 million square meters and contains 4,408 buildings. The removal of building height restrictions allows redevelopment and reconstruction projects to proceed.

The area within 200 meters outside the fortress walls and the inner fortress zone have also seen slight easing of height restrictions, allowing buildings to increase by one floor. The historical and cultural environment preservation area, previously divided into 16 zones, has been adjusted to 7 zones.

Suwon City has consistently requested the Cultural Heritage Administration to relax regulations for over ten years to alleviate inconveniences faced by residents living in the preservation area.

Additionally, in March, a “Suwon Hwaseong Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area Improvement Policy Forum” was held with local residents and experts to discuss regulatory improvement measures. Meetings were also held with local lawmakers and the Cultural Heritage Administration to negotiate the “Suwon Hwaseong Historical and Cultural Environment Preservation Area Adjustment Plan.”

On the 8th of last month, Suwon City requested discussions on regulation relaxation with the Cultural Heritage Administration. After Cultural Heritage Committee members visited the Suwon Hwaseong site on December 6th, the final adjustment plan was discussed. Subsequently, on the 13th, the Cultural Heritage Committee held a review meeting and finally approved the “original plan.”

Mayor Lee Jae-jun emphasized, “It is not desirable for residents’ property rights to be excessively infringed upon simply because they live in a historical and cultural environment preservation area. We will create a good example where residents and cultural heritage do not conflict but coexist harmoniously.”

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