Japan excludes 'Joseonin Forced Labor' from Sado Mine World Heritage nomination document

"Value of 16th-19th Century Technology" Excludes Japanese Colonial Period
Denying Forced Labor Similar to When Registering Gunhamdo

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been identified that the Japanese government recommended Sado Mine, a site of forced labor of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period, as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Cultural Heritage site, setting the target period up to the mid-19th century excluding the Japanese colonial era.

On the 14th, a Japanese government official told Yonhap News regarding the target period in the Sado Mine nomination submitted to UNESCO, "We recommended it because there is value in (Sado Mine's) production technology and production system from the 16th century to the mid-19th century (as a World Heritage site)." This means the Japanese colonial period was essentially excluded.

Japan did not specify the target period or other details after submitting the Sado Mine nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage Center on the 1st. Local governments such as Sado City and Niigata Prefecture, which have been promoting the World Heritage registration, explained the value of Sado Mine by limiting the period to "16th to 19th century" or "Edo period (1603?1867)" in previously released explanatory materials.

The official added that the target period Japan claims has value for selecting Sado Mine as a World Heritage site has not changed since the nomination was submitted. When asked whether the Japanese colonial period was excluded from the nomination despite South Korea's opposition, he replied, "The period with value (as a World Heritage site) is mainly the Edo period."

The Japanese government is pursuing a method of seeking only the World Heritage label while hiding the history of perpetration involving the forced mobilization of Koreans. When asked whether the fact that "Korean workers from the Korean Peninsula worked at Sado Mine" was mentioned in the nomination or related materials even if it is not recognized as having World Heritage value, he said, "The nomination is confidential, so I refrain from answering."

Although avoiding a clear answer, it is highly likely that the submitted materials do not mention the forced labor of Koreans at all. Even if the content about Koreans is included, it is interpreted that it is not in a way that confronts the history of perpetration. In other words, the Japanese government recommended Sado Mine as a World Heritage site by ignoring the history of forced labor of Koreans.

Unlike when the Japanese government recommended Hashima Island, which was registered as a World Heritage site in 2015, it did not use an explicit name denying forced mobilization. According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, the Japanese government submitted the nomination under the name "Sado Island Gold Mine." When Sado Mine was placed on the tentative list for World Heritage nomination in 2010, the name used was "The Heritage Group of Sado Mine Centered on Gold," but the name has changed this time.

However, since Japan denies the history of forced labor as it did during the Hashima Island registration, a historical controversy is inevitable regardless of the name used for Sado Mine.

If the review process follows the usual procedures, the final decision on registration will be made around next summer.

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