Hosaka Yuji - Novelist Hansu-san Reveals the Truth Behind Historical Distortion at the 'Gunkhamdo Exhibition Hall'

Special Interview with Broadcaster Jeong Jaehwan on the 29th
Broadcast on KOREANET YouTube on the 30th

One of the four information boards installed after Gunhamdo was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, explaining the facilities of Gunhamdo. [Provided by Professor Seokyung Deok = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Professor Hosaka Yuji of Sejong University, an expert on Korea-Japan relations, and novelist Han Su-san, author of the novel Gunkanjima, will hold a special dialogue pinpointing the problems of the Japanese "Gunkanjima Exhibition Hall" that distorts history.

The Overseas Culture and Information Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 28th that it will hold a special dialogue titled "What Is the Problem with the Japan Industrial Heritage Information Center" at 4 p.m. on the 29th at the Korea.net studio.

Professor Hosaka will introduce the promises made by the Japanese government to the international community during the process of registering 23 industrial heritage sites, including Gunkanjima, as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2015, and explain specifically which promises have not been kept. He will also analyze the reasons behind the Japanese government's sudden change in attitude and the internal motives for breaking promises despite international criticism. Additionally, he will explain why the Industrial Heritage Information Center is located in downtown Tokyo rather than in Nagasaki, where Gunkanjima is situated.

Novelist Han Su-san, who researched the tragedy of Koreans forcibly conscripted to Hashima (瑞島) while writing the novel Gunkanjima, will clearly explain how the exhibits at the "Gunkanjima Exhibition Hall" distort history. He published the full-length novel Gunkanjima in 2016, vividly depicting the hardships of Koreans forcibly conscripted to Hashima during the Japanese colonial period.

Moderator Jeong Jae-hwan will also share his experience of witnessing the horrors of Gunkanjima firsthand. Jeong visited historical sites related to Korea-Japan relations in the Kyushu region of Japan and recorded his honest impressions in the book Kyushu Historical Journey, during which he visited Gunkanjima directly.

The special dialogue will be broadcast on the Overseas Culture and Information Service website and the Korea.net YouTube channel on the 30th. Kim Cheol-min, head of the Overseas Culture and Information Service, said, "This dialogue was prepared to inform the public about how the exhibits at the recently opened Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Center distort history."

Meanwhile, Professor Hosaka published a critical column on the problems of the Gunkanjima Exhibition Hall in the American foreign affairs magazine The Diplomat on the 25th. In the column titled "Remembering Japan’s Atrocities Against Koreans on Hashima Island During the Japanese Colonial Period," he pointed out, "Japan must not ignore the numerous testimonies of Koreans who suffered severe discrimination on Hashima Island." This column was also published on Korea.net. The Overseas Culture and Information Service website provides the column in Korean.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.