Seoul City: "National Heritage Agency’s Administrative Mediation Request for Sewoon District 4 Should Be Dismissed... Infringement of Local Autonomy"

On January 8th, residents from the Sewoon District, including representatives from the Sewoon 4 District Residents' Association, held a press conference at Dasiseun Plaza in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to express their position regarding the National Heritage Agency's refusal to allow simulation demonstration filming.

Regarding the redevelopment of Sewoon District 4 in front of Jongmyo, the Seoul Metropolitan Government expressed regret over the National Heritage Agency’s request to have the project discussed as an agenda item by the Administrative Coordination Committee under the Prime Minister’s Office.

On March 11, Lee Minkyoung, spokesperson for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, “Since a related lawsuit is currently pending in court, this agenda item is excluded from review under the operating regulations of the Administrative Coordination Committee.”

She further emphasized, “Nevertheless, if the committee proceeds to forcibly review the matter, it could result in overlapping and conflicting decisions between the court’s ruling and the committee’s adjustment, causing confusion on the same issue. Therefore, this agenda item should be immediately dismissed.”

The spokesperson also pointed out, “The National Heritage Agency’s unilateral demand to suspend procedures is a clear infringement of local autonomy without any substantive justification. Sewoon District 4 is located outside the Jongmyo World Heritage Site buffer zone, and under current laws, there are no clear standards or grounds to mandate a World Heritage Impact Assessment for this area.”

Additionally, she stated, “In a situation where the Prime Minister, who should act as a neutral mediator, has visited Jongmyo and publicly expressed biased views on the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment project, such as calling it ‘suffocating’ and ‘short-sighted,’ merely submitting this agenda item to a committee under the Prime Minister raises questions about procedural neutrality and the reliability of the outcome.”

She added, “The city has consistently emphasized the importance of preserving world heritage and has advocated for finding a solution through objective verification and reasonable consultation among stakeholders. We once again propose forming a four-party consultative body involving residents, experts, the National Heritage Agency, and the city.”

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