Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayor, pointed out the contradiction of the government opposing redevelopment of the Sewoon District in Jongno-gu on the grounds of damaging cultural heritage value while pushing to supply dwellings at Taereung Golf Course (Taereung CC) in Nowon-gu. Oh asked President Lee Jae-myung to set clear standards.
Oh said in a Facebook post on the 1st titled "Are the Korea Heritage Service and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) governments of different countries?" that "if the same yardstick the Korea Heritage Service applies to the Sewoon District is applied to Taereung CC, there cannot be different conclusions."
The Korea Heritage Service opposed the plan to build high-rise buildings in the Sewoon District on the grounds that it would mar the view from Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Oh pointed out that the government's "Jan. 29 capital area dwellings supply plan" includes developing Taereung CC, which is adjacent to the World Heritage Sites Taereung and Gangneung.
Oh said, "Thirteen percent of Taereung CC is directly included in the historic and cultural environment preservation area, while the Sewoon District lies outside that range," adding, "if the Sewoon District is out of the question, then Taereung CC is even more so, and conversely, if Taereung CC can proceed, then the Sewoon District can as well."
He continued, "Even so, the Korea Heritage Service opposes development of the Sewoon District, which is well removed from the preservation area, while offering no meaningful opposition to Taereung CC, which clearly falls within the World Heritage impact range."
He also criticized, "The behavior of the president and this government is itself contradictory and a double standard," adding, "Unless the two ministries are governments of different countries, how can the Korea Heritage Service's conclusion and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)'s conclusion differ?"
Oh urged, "There can't be 'pro-Myung' and 'anti-Myung' sides when it comes to cultural heritage," adding, "I hope the president will take this opportunity to clearly lay out what this government's standards are."