According to a report by South Korean newspaper Daily Economic on October 21, 3,500 residents in Jung District of Seoul submitted opinions to the Jung District government, opposing the inclusion of 'Hanyang Capital Fortress' in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 1392, Lee Seong-gyun established the Joseon Dynasty. The capital at that time, "Hanyang," is the current Seoul in Korea.
Seoul Tourism Agency explains that the "Hanyang Capital Wall" was built to protect Hanyang. The wall is approximately 18 kilometers long. In many cities of the same period, wall heritage has disappeared due to urban development, but the Hanyang Capital Wall has remained intact, preserving both tangible and intangible historical value. In order to promote and preserve its value worldwide, Seoul City, Gyeonggi Province, Goyang City, and the National Heritage Agency have worked together to include the Hanyang Capital Wall in the World Heritage List.
Residents are worried that Han Yang Capital City, located in the center of Seoul, would be restricted in its development if it were selected as a World Heritage site. This would mean that residents would lose the opportunity to improve their living conditions.
On the 21st, the Seongju District Government of Seoul announced that a petition containing the demands of more than 3,500 residents was submitted to the Seoul City on the 13th, and transferred to the Korean National Heritage Office, UNESCO, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on the 20th. ICOMOS is the official advisory body for cultural heritage matters under UNESCO.
In January this year, the City of Seoul and the National Heritage Office of South Korea submitted an application to the UNESCO World Heritage Center, aiming to include the Hanyang Capital Fortifications, including Hanyang Capital, Beopansan Castle, and Dangchuntae Castle, on the list of World Heritage Sites.
Hanyang Capital (Capital City) Official Website of Hanyang Capital
Residents in the Central District have been closely following the progress of Han Yang Capital's application for World Heritage status. The city wall of Han Yang Capital starts at Guangxi Gate in the Central District, extends through Chashan Cave and Nanshan to Chongli Gate. Along the city wall, there are old residential areas and urban renewal zones. Many residents feel uneasy: will the opportunity to improve their living environment that they have been waiting for end up being wasted due to the application failing to qualify for World Heritage status?
It is reported that residents are most concerned about the impact assessment of World Heritage status after the application is approved. Just this assessment process alone will take an additional 1 to 3 years on average, which inevitably delays the construction period of repairs.
Previously, Gongsan Castle in Gongju City, Chungcheongnam-do was listed as a World Heritage Site. As a result, the surrounding urban planning required significant adjustments, and the project was stalled for about 3 years. Once a site is listed as a World Heritage Site, the area within 100 meters of the castle wall is designated as a buffer zone. Any construction or renovation work in this area must undergo mandatory impact assessments.
Additionally, referring to the precedent set by Jongno District's ancestral temple, even if the project falls outside the buffer zone, the National Heritage Office can still require an impact assessment.
To provide shelter for the king and people in case of emergencies, and to prepare for long-term warfare, this fortress was built. Hanyang Capital Website
Once the scope of evaluation is expanded, a series of residential renovation projects, town development projects, and urban redevelopment projects may be affected. At the same time, ordinary buildings in areas such as Chashan Dong, Jiangzhong Dong, and Xintang Dong, which are adjacent to Hanyang City, will also be subject to new regulations regarding construction, addition, and renovation.
On the other hand, since the 13th, Seoul has launched a two-month consultation process to gather opinions from various sectors on the application for Han Yang Capital City’s World Heritage nomination. It also aims to collect the opinions of local residents and relevant experts regarding various legal matters that will arise after the nomination is approved.
Connecting two fortresses, protecting the refuge route at Dangchun Terrace during wartime. Hanyang Capital Website
Whether it will be selected ultimately will be determined at the World Heritage Committee meeting in July 2027. Once approved for world heritage status, “Hanyang Capital City Walls” will become South Korea’s 18th World Heritage site.
Previously, Hanyang Capital had been listed in the preliminary list and started the application for heritage protection as early as 2012. However, in 2017, a consulting agency issued a recommendation not to include it in the list, and the application was subsequently withdrawn.
North Han Mountain City 2018 Impact Pre-Selection List, also failed through review.
For this purpose, the local governments of Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Goyang have, in accordance with the recommendations of the National Heritage Administration, combined Han Yang Capital City, North Han Mountain City, and Dangchuntae City into a single project for application.
