"Forced Labor of Joseon People" Sado Mine World Heritage? ... Japan "Will Discuss with Korea"

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunju Lee] The Japanese government has reapplied for the Sado (佐渡) Mine, a site of forced labor of Koreans, to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, stating that it will "discuss with related countries including South Korea."

On the 20th, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference in response to questions about South Korea's opposition to the reapplication of the Sado Mine as a World Heritage site, "We hope that the Sado Mine will be recognized for its excellent value." He added, "The 45th World Heritage Committee meeting, which was scheduled to be held in Russia last June, was postponed, and the date for the next meeting has not been set."

In February last year, the Japanese government submitted a nomination dossier for the Sado Mine to be listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. However, UNESCO rejected it at the time, judging it to be "insufficient." The reason was that the explanation regarding the discontinuity of the 'water channel' within the Sado Mine was inadequate. In this regard, the Japanese government revised the parts pointed out by UNESCO and resubmitted the nomination dossier in September last year.

The Sado Mine was a site where Koreans were forced to work during the Japanese colonial period. It was a famous gold mine since the Edo period (1603?1868) and was used to extract copper, iron, and other war materials during the Pacific War.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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