Samuel Len, Politics & City Desk Editor at The Korea Times

The latest political tempest in Seoul has nothing to do with the economy or geopolitics. It centers instead on the city’s changing skyline.

In a decision with implications far beyond one construction site, Korea’s Supreme Court has effectively allowed high-rise construction across from Jongmyo Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ruling has ignited a clash involving lawmakers, heritage officials, urban planners and a divided public.

Jongmyo is not simply an architectural relic.

Built in the 14th century as the royal ancestral shrine of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, it embodies a Confucian worldview in which authority, ritual and memory were meant to endure for generations. Its most important function today is not visible from afar: the Jongmyo Jerye, the annual ancestral rites, is protected on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This intertwining of space and ritual makes Jongmyo a rare example of a site where physical form and living tradition are inseparable.

The current dispute centers on whether a proposed 141.9-meter tower in the Sewoon district roughly 180 meters from the shrine, would undermine that integrity. Until recently, Seoul’s urban design rules required review of any construction that might affect the broader environment of key........

© The Korea Times