The government says it has chosen Yongsan as another prospective site for the new U.S. embassy in Seoul.

The area includes Camp Coiner, which is part of Yongsan Garrison, the U.S. military headquarters in central Seoul.

A government official said the Yongsan area is considered a prospective site since the Camp Coiner compound is large enough to accommodate both the embassy facilities and apartments for embassy staff.

The official said, however, the government still needs to discuss the matter with the U.S., adding that nothing has been decided yet.

Civic groups have protested the construction of a new U.S. embassy near the Deoksu palace for fear of destroying cultural relics that may lie buried in the ancient Chosun dynasty royal palace.

The government earlier selected the Songhyun district in central Seoul as an alternative site. But the viability of the site was also thrown into doubt since the area is located in the middle of a historical and cultural belt where construction of buildings more than five stories high is banned.

The government is looking for an alternative site as the Cultural Properties Administration is expected to reject the government's initial proposal for constructing a new American embassy near Deoksu Palace.

The government plans to finalize the matter with Washington by September before the start of a new fiscal year in the United States.