UNESCO has urged the South Korean government to address a high-rise redevelopment project near Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine, which was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1995.

Korea Heritage Service(KHS) Administrator Huh Min told the press on Monday that he'd recently received a diplomatic and official document from UNESCO's World Heritage Center expressing concern that the project could damage the royal Confucian shrine.

The agency chief said UNESCO's administrative body had requested that the city government halt authorization procedures until the agency and its advisory bodies could complete a Heritage Impact Assessment.

The agency asked the South Korean government to explain its position and provide further information on the matter within a month.

The KHS chief then proposed the formation of a consultative body comprising his agency, Seoul and the culture ministry to ease public inconvenience while preserving Jongmyo's heritage value.

The city's decision to permit buildings of up to 145 meters tall in Sewoon Zone 4, across from the shrine, has become a point of contention between the central government and the municipality.

UNESCO's letter came in response to a civic group's request for an assessment.