Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Criticizes National Heritage Administration Over Delayed Sewoon District 4 Review

▲ Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attends the city government questioning during the 333rd regular session at the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Jung-gu, Seoul, on November 18 of last year, holding materials related to the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment and answering questions.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has strongly criticized the National Heritage Administration for repeatedly putting the brakes on the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment project near Jongmyo Shrine, calling the decisions "far from a proper review and nothing more than stubborn obstruction disguised as administration."

Mayor Oh posted a message on social media titled "The National Heritage Administration is the biggest enemy of national heritage," directly targeting the agency and urging it to "immediately stop such obstinacy and conduct reviews based on proper legal grounds and rational standards."

Mayor Oh pointed out, "Sewoon District 4, located opposite Jongmyo Shrine, is a project to rebuild the aged downtown area and open a green axis stretching from Jongmyo to Namsan Mountain. Designated as a maintenance zone in 2004, it has not even broken ground in 22 years. Now, the National Heritage Administration is blocking its path."

He particularly emphasized that Sewoon District 4 lies outside the World Heritage zone, noting that the National Heritage Administration has failed to present consistent standards during the World Heritage impact assessment and buried heritage review processes.

Mayor Oh noted, "Under the far-fetched claim that it damages the landscape of Jongmyo, the National Heritage Administration forced a World Heritage impact assessment without any legal obligation and even demanded the cancellation of authorization. Now, it has suspended buried heritage reviews for three consecutive months in August, September, and October, which must be completed before construction."

He continued, "At first, they said they would review it again once the project plan changes were finalized, and next, they said a field survey was necessary. After the field survey was completed, they came up with the principle of preserving artifacts in their original positions."

He added, "During the initial review in 2024, partial relocation and preservation had been decided. Can you entrust a whistle to a referee who moves the goalposts every time a goal is scored?"

Mayor Oh also intensely criticized the National Heritage Administration for belatedly establishing relevant legal grounds and management standards.

He pointed out that while the National Heritage Administration stated in January of this year that it planned to legally request a World Heritage impact assessment under domestic law once the enforcement decree amendment is completed within the first quarter, it issued a statement on the 4th stating it would establish management standards going forward.

Referring to this, Mayor Oh said, "This is a confession that they have tied down residents without legal grounds or standards until now. They are hastily making regulations only after an issue erupts and using those rules as a club to push residents around."

He repeatedly urged, "This is akin to rewriting the rules after a game has already started. The National Heritage Administration must conduct reviews based on proper legal grounds and rational standards."

Mayor Oh also mentioned the damage inflicted on residents due to project delays.

He stated, "Due to significant costs and time already incurred, residents have filed a damages lawsuit worth around 25 billion won against the state. If their fifth review is also suspended on the upcoming 18th, that decision will soon serve as evidence in the lawsuit."

He claimed, "There is a term called 'UNESCOcide.' It combines 'UNESCO' and 'genocide,' referring to the phenomenon where regulations justified under the pretext of protecting world heritage suffocate the lives of residents. If groundless administrative high-handedness and obstinacy like this continue, backlash against 'UNESCOcide' will sweep across our society like a tsunami."

Mayor Oh stated, "The National Heritage Administration may think it won by blocking a single project, but at the cost of eroding citizens' affection for cultural heritage. Right now, the biggest enemy of national heritage is none other than the National Heritage Administration."

Mayor Oh said, "The Seoul City government is more sincere than anyone about protecting world heritage, but we will no longer stand by and watch residents' lives being indefinitely bound under the guise of heritage protection."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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