Seoul mayor accuses Cultural Heritage Administration of 'administrative gapjil' over stalled Sewoon district project

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Tuesday accused the Cultural Heritage Administration of administrative gapjil — the abuse of power by a superior party — saying the agency has stubbornly demanded a "world heritage impact assessment" for the Sewoon Zone 4 redevelopment project despite having no clear legal basis for the requirement. Oh said cultural heritage preservation and urban development are not conflicting values, and pledged that Seoul would move quickly to reform the relevant laws and systems.

Oh made the remarks at a morning policy forum hosted by the People Power Party's Seoul chapter and the Seoul Metropolitan Government at the National Assembly Members' Office Building. The forum, titled "World Heritage and the Future of Cities: Finding a Path to Coexistence," was chaired by Rep. Cho Eun-hee, chairwoman of the PPP's Seoul chapter. Kim Ji-yeop, a professor in the architecture department at Sungkyunkwan University, presented on the legal issues surrounding world heritage impact assessments, while Nam Jin, a professor in the urban engineering department at the University of Seoul, spoke on world heritage regulations and Seoul's urban planning. About 30 PPP lawmakers attended, including Rep. Cho, PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok and floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik.

In his opening remarks, Oh said the Seoul Metropolitan Government bears a responsibility it cannot neglect on either front — preserving the city's precious cultural heritage and improving the lives of its citizens. He noted that the Yulgok-ro restoration project had reconnected Changgyeonggung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine after 90 years of separation dating to the Japanese colonial period. "As a result, the urban environment surrounding the cultural heritage sites improved dramatically," he said, adding that the city now aims to extend that transformation to the Sewoon district.

"The Sewoon district has been neglected and left to deteriorate for so long that it is hard to believe it sits in the heart of Seoul," Oh said. He said the city intends to redevelop the area to create a green corridor running from Jongmyo Shrine to Namsan, along with a next-generation commercial district.

Oh said Zone 4 of the Sewoon district, located in front of Jongmyo, has yet to break ground despite more than 20 years since the project began. He criticized the Cultural Heritage Administration for insisting on a "world heritage impact assessment" with no clear legal basis, even though the site lies outside the designated world heritage zone. He said Seoul had proposed a joint survey to objectively assess the project's impact on the Jongmyo landscape, but the agency refused even that. The city then flew an advertising balloon over Zone 4 so the public could see for themselves whether the planned development would actually obstruct or harm the view of Jongmyo from the shrine's grounds, he said.

"Despite all this, the Cultural Heritage Administration has repeatedly deferred its review of the buried cultural asset preservation plan and is now demanding the cancellation of the approved project implementation plan change," Oh said. "This is clearly administrative gapjil with no legal basis. Because the rule of law is a fundamental principle, it will ultimately be very difficult for them to escape legal responsibility."

Oh said that while the project has drifted, the economic harm and hardship have fallen entirely on local residents. He acknowledged that protecting world heritage sites is an important commitment to the international community and that Seoul has no disagreement with that principle. "However, in the name of preserving cultural heritage, we must not bring the city's future and citizens' lives to a standstill without clear standards, principles or legal grounds," he said. "The preservation of cultural heritage and the development of the city are not conflicting values."

Closing his remarks, Oh called for an open-minded search for solutions together. "We will actively consult with relevant agencies to ensure that preservation and development can go hand in hand," he said. "Seoul will never give up on protecting cultural heritage or on opening the city's future."