The Seoul metropolitan government wants to do more to preserve historic sites in downtown areas by offering incentives. Under a new plan announced Monday, the city government will designate 20 areas near ancient palaces or with historical value as conservation zones where redevelopment must respect existing structures.

Cultural and historical resources like ancient palaces and villages of traditional housing or hanok are abundant in downtown Seoul, but many of those historical assets have been destroyed in the process of indiscriminate redevelopment and reconstruction.