LDP Seeks Meeting with Korean Ambassador to Register Sado Mine, a Site of Forced Labor History, as a World Cultural Heritage Site

"Only Edo Period Sites Registered" vs "Should Reflect Entire History"

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers in Japan, the ruling party, are seeking to hold talks with Yoon Deok-min, the South Korean ambassador to Japan, to support the registration of forced labor sites of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

Ambassador Yoon Deok-min to Japan is looking at a map in the Sado Mine tunnel in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, on December 1 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Kyodo News on the 12th, Keiichiro Tachibana, the head of the LDP project team pushing for the registration of Sado Mine as a World Heritage site, and others plan to meet Ambassador Yoon next week to once again explain Japan's position on the registration and request understanding from the South Korean government.

Japan's stance is to register only the Edo period-related sites from the 16th to mid-19th century, citing the large amount of gold mined at Sado Mine in the 17th century. On the other hand, the South Korean government opposes this, arguing that Japan deliberately excluded the fact of forced labor of Koreans and insists that this should also be reflected.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a UNESCO advisory body responsible for reviewing World Cultural Heritage registrations, recommended on the 6th to "develop interpretive and exhibition strategies and facilities on-site that comprehensively cover the entire history of the nominated property throughout the mining period" regarding Sado Mine, among other points, and advised a 'Refer' status. This is interpreted as ICOMOS accepting South Korea's claim and recommending Japan to reflect the 'entire history.'

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official stated that following the ICOMOS recommendation, if the fact of forced labor of Koreans is not reflected, they will oppose the registration. Kyodo News commented on the LDP lawmakers' planned meeting, saying, "The purpose is to gain understanding for the registration and support the Japanese government and local response," but added, "Since South Korea is demanding that the entire history, including forced labor, be reflected, it is uncertain whether agreement will be obtained in the meeting."

The decision on whether Sado Mine will be registered as a World Heritage site will be made at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in late next month in New Delhi, India.