Opposition is spreading among residents of Seoul's Jung-gu District to a bid to register the "Capital City Fortifications of Hanyang" as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Residents fear that a listing would add impact assessment procedures to construction and redevelopment projects near the fortress walls, delaying rebuilding and redevelopment and restricting the exercise of property rights.
Jung-gu said on the 21st that it submitted residents' written opposition to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 13th and forwarded it to the Korea Heritage Service, UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on the 20th.
Anxiety Grows Just as Redevelopment Gains Speed
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Heritage Service submitted the World Heritage nomination dossier for the "Capital City Fortifications of Hanyang" — comprising the Hanyang City Wall, Bukhansanseong Fortress and Tangchundaeseong Fortress — to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in January. The Hanyang City Wall runs from Gwanghuimun Gate in Jung-gu through the Dasan-dong neighborhood and Namsan Mountain to Sungnyemun Gate. In Jung-gu, where aging residential areas and downtown redevelopment zones sit along the walls, attention is focused on how a listing would affect local development.
What residents fear most is the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) that could apply after a listing. If the site is registered, areas within 100 meters of the heritage property would be designated as a buffer zone, requiring an impact assessment for construction or redevelopment projects. Residents worry that project timelines could slip because the assessment process alone takes an average of one to three years.
Being outside the buffer zone offers no assurance either, because the Korea Heritage Service can request an impact assessment for projects beyond the buffer zone if it deems one necessary. As a result, there are concerns that housing redevelopment projects including the Sindang No. 9, No. 10 and No. 13 districts, the Namsan Town remodeling project, and downtown redevelopment projects around Gwanghui-dong, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and Seosomun could all be affected.
Ordinary buildings in the Dasan-dong, Jangchung-dong and Sindang-dong areas that abut the Hanyang City Wall may also face additional restrictions when they are newly built, expanded or reconstructed. Residents argue that even sections where the wall no longer stands could become subject to review depending on whether underground remains are preserved or how the boundaries of the serial property are drawn, meaning the effects could extend to areas that do not directly touch the fortifications.
Jung-gu is a district where housing redevelopment projects long held up by height limits around Namsan Mountain have begun to move forward since those limits were eased. Among residents, concern is mounting that a World Heritage listing could act as a new layer of regulation and once again put the brakes on projects, just as an opportunity to improve living conditions has opened up.
3,500 Signatures Delivered as District Relays Concerns
According to Jung-gu, residents' opposition came to the fore at a briefing session held on Sept. 3. About 200 people attended the session, arranged at the main auditorium of the Sindang Nuri Center at residents' request, to hear about the status of the World Heritage bid and its potential impact on redevelopment projects. Citing the possibility of restrictions on property rights and project delays, residents submitted to the district a written statement opposing the bid along with a petition bearing roughly 3,500 signatures.
In relaying residents' views to the relevant agencies, Jung-gu asked that they give full consideration not only to the need to preserve World Heritage but also to residents' property rights and the impact on redevelopment projects already under way. The district plans to hold a second briefing session on Nov. 5 to share developments since the submission and to gather additional views.
Jung-gu Mayor Kim Kil-sung said preserving the value of cultural heritage matters, but so does improving the living conditions of residents who have spent years preparing for redevelopment, calling it a responsibility the administration must attend to carefully. The mayor said the district would do everything it can to ensure residents' concerns and opinions are fully conveyed to the relevant agencies, and would provide tailored support for each project site so that downtown development proceeds on a stable footing.
Separately, Jung-gu is also moving to improve living conditions in the Hoehyeon-dong area, where height limits around Namsan Mountain have been eased. With the recent approval and public notice of a revised urban regeneration plan for the area around Seoul Station, which includes the Hoehyeon-dong New Village project, a project worth a total of 25.3 billion won (about $17 million) is now getting under way.