National Heritage Administration files police report over unpermitted boreholes at Seun 4 redevelopment

On March 16, South Korea’s National Heritage Administration said it has filed a police report against Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corporation (SH) over alleged violations of the Immovable Cultural Heritage Protection and Investigation Act related to the Seun 4 District redevelopment near Jongmyo Shrine in central Seoul.

The agency said SH drilled 11 boreholes within the redevelopment site without prior authorization from the Cultural Heritage Administration’s head. The matter centers on activities inside a site the government classifies as containing remains that are legally subject to protection and excavation.

Under the act, altering remains that are already identified or under excavation can lead to up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won.

The National Heritage Administration emphasized that the Seun 4 District site is legally a remains zone awaiting excavation, and SH’s activities were conducted without the necessary permit.

From 2022 to 2024, surveys of the area identified traces of a Joseon-era road network, building footprints, and drainage systems, as well as an entrance marker for the village. Archaeologists also reported the discovery of 7–8 cattle bones in a vertical pit.

Scholars have characterized the findings as meaningful, given the site’s location and the nature of the discoveries.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre has also expressed concern. In a letter dated March 14, the centre warned that proceeding with the Seun area development could have a very negative impact on Jongmyo Shrine’s World Heritage status and its Outstanding Universal Value. It noted that the centre expects an environmental impact assessment, and if Seoul does not confirm by March that such an assessment will be conducted, the issue could be raised at the 48th World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan or trigger an on-site inspection.

Jongmyo Shrine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Seoul, revered for its Confucian ancestral rites and ceremonial architecture. The episode illustrates the broader global challenge of balancing rapid urban redevelopment with the protection of cultural heritage, a dynamic that matters to international tourism, investment, and policy discussions in the United States as well as abroad.