Abstract
This research analyses the political involvements that influenced the progress of a heritage tourist site in South Korea, an Asian newly industrial country. Serious perception gaps about the heritage tourism development between the government and the private sectors occurred. Initially, the Baekje History Reproduction Complex (BHRC) project in Buyeo County, Korea was designed by the central government. Political factors influenced the whole project procedure after its conception in 1991 correlated to the political status of a specific politician who was born and raised in Buyeo County. A series of in-depth interviews with stakeholders and examination of data records suggest the importance of the whole project has been proportional to his political status in the central government. The study makes recommendations, such as the need for independence from political interests, organising a neutral co-ordinating agency, expanding professional consulting during the designing stage, strengthening public hearings for transparency with all stakeholders and intensifying professional education on the value of culture to public sector staff. This research could be useful for those planning and developing heritage tourism attraction sites wherever diverse parties with conflicting interests are involved.