The South Korean government has reiterated that Japan must properly publicize the history of forced labor involving Koreans at Meiji-era industrial revolution sites, including the Sado mines.

Kim Ji-hee, South Korean Ambassador to UNESCO, stated at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Busan today (July 28), "We urge Japan to comply with the decisions of the Committee and keep the promises it made."

The South Korean government has continuously urged Japan to make improvements through bilateral consultations and the World Heritage Committee, pointing out that, contrary to promises made when registering the Meiji-era industrial facilities as World Heritage sites, the Japanese government has failed to properly convey the history of Korean forced labor.

In particular, regarding the Sado mines registered by Japan as a World Heritage site two years ago, the 48th World Heritage Committee evaluated that while there has been some progress by the Japanese side in implementing the Committee's recommendation to establish an interpretation and exhibition strategy reflecting the "full history," it remains insufficient, and adopted a decision containing these points on the 23rd.

The South Korean government interprets the phrase "full history" as encompassing the history of Koreans who were forced into labor at the mines by Japan during the Japanese colonial period.

Recalling that the World Heritage Committee has repeatedly recommended establishing interpretation strategies to understand the full history of each facility since Japan first registered the Meiji-era industrial facilities in 2015, Ambassador Kim pointed out, "It is deeply regrettable that even after a decade, the implementation of that recommendation remains insufficient and continues to cause concern."

Ambassador Kim stated, "In particular, the exhibits at the Industrial Heritage Information Center in Tokyo still fail to reflect the experiences of Koreans and others who were brought against their will in the 1940s and forced to work in harsh environments."

Previously, when registering 23 industrial facilities including the Hashima coal mine in Nagasaki (commonly known as Battleship Island) as Meiji industrial heritage, Japan promised to publicize the full history and established the Industrial Heritage Information Center in Tokyo for this purpose.

However, the exhibits at the Industrial Heritage Information Center, which opened in 2020, have faced criticism for merely highlighting the history of industrialization during the Meiji era while failing to properly publicize—or even denying—the history of forced labor.

During today's meeting, Japan responded with the stance that it has already fulfilled the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee.

Kano Takehiro, Japanese Ambassador to UNESCO, stated, "Japan has faithfully responded to previous decisions (of the World Heritage Committee) and continues to engage in sincere dialogue with relevant states parties," adding, "There is no change in Japan's position on this issue, and Japan reaffirms its determination to continue dialogue outside the World Heritage Committee."

(Photo: Yonhap News)