Jongmyo war revives long history of battles over development

The capital is once again the stage for a familiar political feud as Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s bid to construct a high-rise opposite the UNESCO-listed Jongmyo Shrine has set off a fresh round of sparring with the central government. The confrontation is hardly unprecedented. It is the latest — and perhaps most consequential — chapter in Seoul’s long history of political friction over marquee development projects. It also underscores a broader dilemma the city has struggled to resolve for decades over how to pursue growth without erasing the traces of its ancient identity. This tension has repeatedly placed the mayor’s drive for modernization at odds with the central government’s responsibility to safeguard national heritage. The Sewoon redevelopment project — now sometimes referred to as the “Jongmyo war” — has become a showdown between urban renewal and cultural preservation. After Seoul moved to ease height limits and permit buildings up to 141.9 meters, cultural authorities warned that the plan could jeopardize the shrine’s World Heritage status and took the matter to

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