Creation of 'Gwanghwamun National Symbolic Space'... Seoul City Requests Late Consultation with Ministry of Land and Others

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Requests 'Preliminary Procedures and Consultation Items' Response from Ministry of Economy and Finance
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Consultation with Related Agencies at Initial Stage... Detailed Discussions After Gathering Opinions

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has begun a preliminary review of administrative procedures for the creation of a national symbolic space at Gwanghwamun Square. This indicates that discussions with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Architecture Policy Committee (Gukgeonwi), and others involved in the project will be intensified. However, there are criticisms that the consultation phase, which should have been conducted before announcing the construction of the 'large-scale Taegeukgi flagpole,' is only now being initiated, leading to concerns about administrative inefficiency.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 19th, the city recently sent official letters to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Gukgeonwi, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Jongno-gu District Office, and others, requesting confirmation of preliminary procedures and consultation matters related to the creation of the national symbolic space at Gwanghwamun Square, with a deadline for response by this day. A Seoul city official stated, "This is a process to identify matters that need to be discussed with related ministries and agencies for the creation of the (national symbolic space)," adding, "There was also time to share the progress made so far."

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is holding a press briefing on the 11th at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, regarding the controversy over the construction of a 100m high Taegeukgi flagpole at Gwanghwamun Square. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon mentioned the plan to construct a '100-meter-high super-large Taegeukgi sculpture' on the 25th of last month. Following ongoing controversy, he held a press briefing last week, expressing an intention to keep all possibilities open and to listen to citizens' opinions again. The core of this approach is to create a separate channel on the city’s website for collecting public feedback and to reconsider the form and height of the national symbolic sculpture.

However, the determination to establish a national symbolic space at Gwanghwamun Square remains firm. Mayor Oh stated, "We will create a symbol befitting the national symbolic space to make the meaning of the square more significant," and maintained the schedule for design competitions, basic and detailed design phases.

This preliminary review of administrative procedures is significant as it marks the beginning of concrete consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Gukgeonwi, and others, alongside public opinion gathering. It is known that during a recent meeting with Gukgeonwi, Seoul city acknowledged that the process had been somewhat rushed and conveyed their stance on the current controversy. An official who attended the meeting said, "Reviewing the current situation or past plans is meaningless," adding, "There was talk about first observing the (opinion collection) process and taking a breather."

Institutions that received the official letters requesting preliminary procedures and consultation matters are also expected to respond to Seoul city by this day, outlining the administrative and legal steps that must be followed going forward. Another official suggested, "Review will begin only after the opinion collection is completed and Seoul city submits a formal draft proposal based on the results," implying that the project is still at a stage where it could be scrapped.

Some criticize Seoul city’s belated administrative review as an 'immature response.' They argue that it is inappropriate to start consultations with related ministries and agencies only after the announcement has been made without proper review, leading to controversy. A government official stated, "Given that a related memorandum of understanding was already signed last year, a unilateral announcement by one agency could undermine trust throughout the entire future consultation process."

Meanwhile, the revised plan presented by Seoul city includes using the Taegeukgi flag as well as other national symbols designated by the government?such as the national anthem, Mugunghwa (Rose of Sharon), the national emblem, and the national seal?in the form of a national symbolic sculpture. If a flagpole is installed, a variable-height installation is expected to be discussed. The structure would allow height adjustment from 10 meters up to a maximum of 70 meters.

An example of the national symbol space creation project newly unveiled by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 11th. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

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