Seoul City approved a plan by Hotel Shilla to build traditional-style accommodation in central Seoul after rejecting four previous attempts, officials said Thursday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government made the decision Wednesday to approve the plan to build a hanok-style hotel within the compound of the luxury hotel’s vast grounds in Jangchung-dong. Hotel Shilla is an affiliate of South Korea’s biggest conglomerate Samsung Group. The term “hanok” refers to traditional Korean tiled houses.



There has long been controversy over whether the hotel’s plans would hurt the natural scenery or help vitalize the country’s tourism industry.

The company had sought to build the hanok-style hotel in a neighborhood near the historic Fortress Wall of Seoul. New construction and expansion projects in the area are controlled for conservation purposes.

The Seoul government rejected Hotel Shilla’s four previous attempts to have their plans approved in 2012, 2013, 2015 and earlier this year.

The finalized plan has been downsized from the last version submitted in January. It will involve building a three-story structure with three basement levels and a total of 91 rooms. The company initially proposed a four-story building with four basement levels and 207 rooms. The distance from the fortress wall of Hanyang, the old name of Seoul, has also been increased from 20.5 meters, as proposed in 2013, to 29.9 meters.

The revised plan also includes providing pedestrian roads leading up to the fortress wall and protecting the nearby area’s landscape.

“It will contribute to strengthening Seoul’s competitiveness as a global tourist city and play a positive role in designating the fortress wall -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- by improving the nearby environment,” said Lee Je-won, an official at the metropolitan government.

“We will combine the beauty of hanok with the convenience of contemporary architecture,” a Hotel Shilla official said, adding they are not yet at a stage to talk about the price range of the facility.

The company is expected to invest some 300 billion won ($247 million) into the hanok hotel project, which is expected to open in the early 2020s.

From news reports