Seoul gov't slams heritage agency for denying on-site test for Sewoon redevelopment project

Seoul Metropolitan Government expressed regret after the Korea Heritage Service refused to allow it to conduct an on-site test to determine whether constructing a high-rise building is part of the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment project.

The Sewoon District 4 redevelopment area located directly across from Jongmyo Shrine in central Seoul is seen on Nov. 18, 2025. [YONHAP]

Seoul Metropolitan Government expressed regret after the Korea Heritage Service refused to allow it to conduct an on-site test to determine whether constructing a high-rise building as part of the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment project in Jongno District, central Seoul, would obstruct people's view of Jongmyo Shrine.

In a statement on Wednesday, the city said it “deeply regrets” the heritage agency’s decision to deny its request to film at Sangwoldae terrace at Geunjeongjeon, the shrine’s main hall, to verify the accuracy of its landscape simulation of the high-rise set.

The Korea Heritage Service and the ruling Democratic Party had earlier called on Seoul to reverse its decision to relax the zone's height restriction laws to a maximum of 141.9 meters (466 feet), arguing it would severely undermine Jongmyo's vista.

Seoul has since released renderings that show the expected view from Sangwoldae and attempted to verify them by raising a tethered balloon to the same height as the planned building and photographing it from Hawoldae and nearby areas.

Seoul said that while it did not consider wind and other factors, it “clearly confirmed that the [most recent] landscape simulation is not fundamentally different from previously released ones and was not distorted.”

The Sewoon District 4 redevelopment area located near Jongmyo Shrine in central Seoul is seen on on Dec. 12, 2025. [YONHAP]

The city criticized the heritage agency's refusal as a decision that “blocks an opportunity to settle the controversy through objective verification,” adding that it raises doubts about whether the agency even wishes to resolve the conflict. Seoul said it even suspects the agency may be seeking to prolong the dispute and amplify unnecessary misunderstandings and mistrust toward the city government.

“By refusing objective testing and public verification, the Korea Heritage Service is itself undermining the objectivity and credibility of the landscape simulations we have presented,” the city said, calling on the agency to allow filming from Sangwoldae and to take part in a joint verification of the simulations. “If it is the agency responsible for protecting world heritage, it should not avoid solving the problem or exacerbate the conflict but undergo transparent and objective verification before citizens.”

Local news outlet Yonhap reported that the heritage agency cited concerns over interference with “heritage conservation, management and the viewing environment” as the reason for denying the request.

The heritage agency rejected the city's claim.

“The Korea Heritage Service's latest decision to deny the approval was unavoidable, as the event being organized by the Seoul government was entirely different from what was originally submitted,” the agency said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

“We want to clarify that the decision was not unilateral.”

It added that the city government had initially submitted a plan claiming that only 10 people would be involved in the filming, but the agency later discovered that it would actually be a large-scale briefing with approximately 50 participants.

Update, Jan. 7: Added the Korea Heritage Service's response.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]