Taereung CC enters World Heritage impact review as government pushes to build 6,800 homes

The government has launched a World Heritage impact assessment for the Taereung military golf course site in Nowon-gu, Seoul, accelerating development of urban land parcels already included in its housing supply plans ahead of an expected announcement of additional supply measures.

The Cultural Heritage Administration confirmed Tuesday that the Taereung CC development plan had been placed on the agenda for a World Heritage impact assessment review. "It is true that the plan was put up for the World Heritage impact assessment review on Tuesday," a Cultural Heritage Administration official said. "The results of the review are also expected to be released soon."

Taereung CC is one of the key Seoul supply sites included in the government's "Urban Housing Supply Expansion and Acceleration Plan," announced Jan. 29. The government at the time unveiled a plan to supply a total of 32,000 housing units in Seoul, including the Yongsan International Business District and Camp Kim. Of those, 6,800 units were proposed for the Taereung CC site.

The path to actual development, however, is expected to be far from smooth. Taereung CC was included in the Moon Jae-in administration's "Aug. 4 Supply Measures" in 2020, but the project was effectively scrapped after running into strong opposition from local residents. When the government pushed to build 10,000 homes on the site, nearby residents mounted fierce resistance, citing traffic congestion and environmental damage from large-scale construction.

The recent controversy over the redevelopment of Sewun District 4 near Jongmyo Shrine has raised the prospect of equity concerns emerging around the Taereung CC project as well. Residents of the Sewun District 4 redevelopment promotion zone recently addressed an appeal to the government, saying, "The UNESCO World Heritage sites of Taereung and Gangneung lie about 100 meters from the outer boundary of Taereung CC — will the Cultural Heritage Administration demand a heritage impact assessment if high-rise apartments go up there?" They added: "Is it acceptable to develop Taereung CC while blocking Sewun District 4, which is 600 meters from Jongmyo?"

The gap between the central government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government over the number of units to be supplied is another variable. "Putting Taereung CC through the World Heritage impact assessment process ahead of the supply measures announcement shows the government's determination to deliver housing," said an official in the residential construction industry. "Since Seoul has been pushing for around 3,000 units on the site, the key question — just as with the Yongsan International Business District — is how the central government and the local government will reconcile their differences over the scale of supply."