Preserving Jongmyo's landscape requires more than regulation

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Preserving Jongmyo's landscape requires more than regulation

Published: 28 Nov. 2025, 00:04

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kim Won-bae

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

In 1979, real estate developer Donald Trump sought to build Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. To raise the height of his project, he purchased the unused air rights above the neighboring Tiffany building for five million dollars. By applying those rights to his own site, Trump added roughly 20 floors to the tower, a move that American media later estimated generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profit.

Sewoon 4 Block, located across from Jongmyo Shrine in Jongno District, central Seoul, stands vacant as it awaits redevelopment on Nov. 14. [NEWS1]

The mechanism that made this possible is the Transfer of Development Rights, or TDR. The system continues to operate today. Earlier this year, Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue sold 11,423 square meters of its unused air rights to a developer for 36 million dollars. The church plans to use the proceeds to maintain and repair its historic structure. Private capital, not public spending, is helping preserve a landmark.

In Seoul, TDR has emerged as one proposed solution to the tension between preserving the landscape around Jongmyo Shrine, a Unesco World Heritage site, and redeveloping the aging Sewoon commercial district. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced in February that it intends to introduce a Seoul-style transfer system. Yet the city lacks a clear legal basis for buying and selling development rights. TDR also requires designated sending and receiving zones, as well as market demand. It is not easy to decide whether unused development rights in Jongno District should be traded only within that district or also applied to land south of the Han River.

In Korea, local governments intervene frequently in major redevelopment projects and grant floor-area incentives in exchange for public contributions. Even if TDR were adopted, developers would likely continue negotiating with municipal governments for incentives rather than purchasing unused rights. The controversy surrounding Sewoon 4 Block revealed something else: Someone has already been bearing the cost of preserving the Jongmyo landscape. That burden has fallen on landowners whose buildings were demolished and who have been unable to generate rental income or construct new structures.

It is time to rethink how Korea protects cultural assets such as Jongmyo. The Sewoon 4 Block lies outside the 100-meter historic and cultural protection zone surrounding the shrine. Seoul’s former ordinance required that even construction outside the zone be reviewed by the Cultural Heritage Administration to assess whether it might affect the cultural site. In 2023, the Seoul Metropolitan Council abolished the clause, calling it excessive regulation. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism filed a lawsuit but the Supreme Court sided with the city council.

After Seoul announced a plan to increase the permitted floor-area ratio in Sewoon 4 Block, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and Heritage Agency Commissioner Huh Min vowed to block the project “with every available tool.” The Heritage Agency recently designated the Jongmyo area as a World Heritage District under the Special Act on World Heritage Preservation and Management. Once administrative procedures are completed, the agency is expected to require a Heritage Impact Assessment. Seoul argues that only private developers can request such an assessment, so the city cannot impose one. If an assessment is required, redevelopment will be delayed. Financing costs will rise and project feasibility may weaken. Critics portray the city’s decision to raise the allowable ratio from 600 percent to 1,000 percent as a giveaway. But if construction begins two or three years later, there is no guarantee the project will remain viable.

If preserving the Jongmyo landscape is the top priority, the central government and Seoul should consider jointly purchasing the land to end the dispute. That may be the least costly option. Protecting the area requires clear policy goals and boundaries from the outset. The zones that require preservation must be explicitly defined and the areas subject to a Heritage Impact Assessment must be identified. Residents whose property rights are restricted should receive fair compensation. Cultural heritage cannot be preserved for free. The cost cannot simply be transferred to a few landowners while the government demands preservation on principle alone.

A rendered image provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government shows how skyscrapers built in Sewoon District No. 4 under the city’s relaxed height restrictions would appear from the main hall of Jongmyo Shrine. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

If TDR can be adapted to Korean conditions, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport should amend the law to support it. Sewoon 4 Block is not the only area in need of redevelopment. Revitalizing deteriorated neighborhoods is itself a public interest. Korea needs a comprehensive strategy to address both preservation and renewal.

Other countries issue municipal bonds dedicated to heritage protection or levy special taxes. Citizens sometimes raise money voluntarily to save historic sites and private developers participate through TDR. In Korea, policy has relied mainly on regulation. It is time to find a balanced approach that protects heritage while allowing the city to grow.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.