'Joseonin Forced Labor' Sado Gwangsan, Japan Submits World Heritage Nomination Document (Comprehensive)

Recommendation Deadline Approaching, Submitted to UNESCO
Government: "Systematic and Comprehensive Response Plan Centered on Public-Private Joint TF"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young]The Japanese government has submitted a nomination dossier to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to register the 'Sado Mine,' a site of forced labor of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period, as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Amid expectations that historical disputes between South Korea and Japan will intensify, the final decision on the Sado Mine's World Heritage listing is expected to be made around next summer.

According to Kyodo News on the 1st, the Japanese government approved a plan at a cabinet meeting held that morning to nominate the Sado Mine as Japan's candidate for the 2023 World Heritage registration, and submitted the nomination dossier to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre that afternoon.

The Sado Mine is a site where many Koreans were mobilized and forced into harsh labor during the Japanese colonial period. The Japanese side plans to limit the target period to the Edo era (1603?1867), excluding the history of the Japanese colonial period, in an attempt to register the Sado Mine as a World Heritage site.

The South Korean government strongly opposes Japan's attempt to nominate the Sado Mine as a World Heritage site and plans to launch an 'all-out response.' A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "Our government plans to implement a systematic and comprehensive response by actively cooperating with the international community, centered on a public-private joint task force (TF) composed of related agencies and experts."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a TF involving related agencies and private experts after the Japanese government officially announced its push to register the Sado Mine as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The TF is led by Lee Sang-hwa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Ambassador for Public Diplomacy, and includes related ministries such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Education, Cultural Heritage Administration, as well as experts with expertise and experience on UNESCO issues.

The final decision on the Sado Mine's World Heritage registration is expected around next summer. Prior to that, the outcome can be anticipated through recommendations from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO's advisory body, expected around May next year.

Kyodo News predicted that UNESCO may urge South Korea and Japan to hold bilateral consultations on the Sado Mine issue, which could delay the review process.

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