"Explanation of Forced Labor Still Insufficient"... UNESCO Recommends 'Improvements' to Japan

[Anchor]

It has already been two years since Japan's Sado Mine, a site of forced labor for Koreans, was inscribed as a World Heritage site. However, contrary to the promises made by the Japanese government at the time of inscription, it appears that the explanation regarding the full history, including the forced labor of Koreans, remains insufficient. UNESCO has recommended that Japan make improvements.

Reporter Kim Ayeong has the story.

[Reporter]

In July 2024, the Sado Mine in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

While it was Japan's largest gold mine since the Edo period, it was also a place where approximately 1,000 Koreans were subjected to forced labor during the Japanese colonial era.

At the time of inscription, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recommended that the Japanese government reflect the "full history" of all periods at the site. To secure cooperation from the South Korean government, the Japanese government promised to install exhibits and hold a joint memorial service.

However, due to disagreements over issues such as explicitly mentioning forced mobilization in the memorial address, the joint memorial service has not been held for two years.

[Jeong Seok-gwan / Bereaved family member of a victim of forced mobilization at Sado Mine: (In its current state) it is a negative. There is not even a score to give. The facilities are poor. They need to make improvements. They must accurately indicate that (Koreans) were brought here and forced to work.]

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre released a draft decision today (July 15) on the state of conservation of the Sado Mine, which serves as an interim assessment, on its website. The document includes an evaluation to the effect that Japan's efforts to describe the history have been insufficient.

While acknowledging that Japan has taken additional measures for interpretation and exhibitions, the committee stated that the "full history" is still not being adequately addressed and recommended that Japan consult closely with relevant countries to make improvements.

The committee also demanded the submission of a follow-up implementation report by December next year and announced its plan to review the matter again at the World Heritage Committee meeting the following year.

The South Korean government believes this result reflects its consistent position that Japan's follow-up measures have been inadequate.

Unless there are objections, this draft decision will be adopted at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting to be held in Busan next week.

(Video reporting: Kang Si-woo, Video editing: Jo Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.