Jeong Eui-yong Condemns 'Il-sado Gwangsan' World Heritage Listing, Silent on Russia

[Asia Economy Reporters Yoo In-ho and Lee Ji-eun] Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong strongly condemned Japan's attempt to register the ‘Sado Mine,’ a site of forced labor of Koreans during Japanese occupation, as a UNESCO World Heritage site during his attendance at the ‘Ministerial Meeting for Indo-Pacific Cooperation’ held in Paris, France.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, unlike other foreign ministers who unanimously condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine during the meeting, Minister Chung remained silent on this issue.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 23rd, Minister Chung indirectly criticized Japan's historical distortion at the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Meeting on the 22nd (local time), and during a meeting with Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, he expressed strong concerns about Japan's application to register the Sado Mine as a World Heritage site.

He also requested special attention and cooperation to ensure the thorough implementation of follow-up measures related to the ‘Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution’ since 2015.

Director-General Azoulay acknowledged the Korean government's concerns regarding the Sado Mine and stated that she would continue to pay attention and make efforts regarding the implementation of follow-up measures for the ‘Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.’

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre will review whether the documents submitted by Japan meet the required format by the 1st of next month and then forward them to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO’s advisory body.

Minister Chung also called for international support for the North Korea strategy. He emphasized, “The North Korean nuclear issue is not confined to the Korean Peninsula but poses a threat to peace and security in Northeast Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, and the world,” and added, “We will not cease efforts to bring North Korea to the dialogue table.”

Minister Chung remained silent on condemning Russia, which is interpreted as considering the diplomatic situation of our government, which finds Russia’s support or neutral stance on the North Korean issue regrettable.

On the other hand, foreign ministers from other countries such as France, the European Union (EU), and Japan issued joint statements of condemnation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jean-Yves Le Drian, France’s Foreign Minister and host of the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Meeting, strongly condemned Russia for violating international law by recognizing the independence of the ‘Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR)’ and the ‘Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR),’ established by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also warned, “Russia will pay the price through sanctions.”

In diplomatic circles, it is reported that Western countries including the United States, as well as Asian countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore, have expressed their willingness to join sanctions against Russia, leading to expectations that our government will also need to decide whether to participate.

During the Korea-US-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Hawaii on the 12th, our government promised to closely cooperate to deter further escalation by Russia, and it is possible that the US side will request cooperation. In such a case, export controls related to advanced industries and financial sanctions are being discussed.

However, experts expect our government to maintain a cautious stance, such as providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Professor Kim Hyun-wook of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy said, “There may be differing opinions on whether we should simply tolerate the invasion or partition of territories by great powers against smaller countries,” adding, “We need to seriously consider how we will respond.”

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