Activists demand UNESCO record 'entire history' of Sado Mine, including forced labor

Activists donned white banners resembling ponchos outside the BEXCO convention center in Busan, where the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting is underway. They rallied to demand the recording of the "entire history" of the Sado Mine, specifically focusing on the forced labor of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period.

The banners bore the names and poignant personal histories of individuals like Jeong Byeong-ho, Noh Byeong-gu, and Kim Mun-guk, who were forcibly mobilized to work in the mine. Jeong, taken from his village at 25, endured harsh labor, leaving behind a young daughter who later died. Noh, ordered to the mine in 1941, witnessed numerous fatal accidents and returned home with lung damage. Kim, mobilized in 1940, developed silicosis from his work and died in his 40s, leaving his family in debt.

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Record the voices of Korean forced labor victims at the Sado Mine!

These individuals represent over 1,500 confirmed Koreans who were subjected to forced labor at the Sado Mine. Civic groups, including the Citizens' Committee for the Victims of Japanese Forced Mobilization, Spring, a civic group collaborating with Korean schools, and the Korean-Japanese Historical Justice and Peace Action, alongside the Institute for Korean Historical Studies, organized the urgent action.

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Japan's government has not yet kept its promise to the international community to record the 'entire history' of the Sado Mine, including the forced mobilization of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period.

They accused the Japanese government of failing to uphold its promise to record the full history of the Sado Mine, which includes the forced mobilization of Koreans, as part of its World Heritage inscription. "Only when the voices of victims who suffered from colonial rule and aggressive wars are heard can the Sado Mine truly become a human heritage that conveys human rights and peace," they stated.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee's draft decision noted "progress in the interpretation and exhibition strategy for the entire history of the heritage, but it is not sufficient." It recommended that Japan "comprehensively reflect the entire history of the heritage across all periods of mining development in close consultation with the State Party" and submit a progress report by December 2027.

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Only when the voices of victims who suffered from colonial rule and aggressive wars are heard can the Sado Mine truly become a human heritage that conveys human rights and peace.

Japan's response has been perceived as passive. Sado Mayor Watanabe Ryugo stated that the committee's recommendation lacks specificity regarding which historical aspects require revision. He added that Japan would carefully review the final decision and consult with the national and Niigata prefectural governments. Regarding the memorial service for Sado Mine workers, which has been disrupted for two years due to Japan's uncooperative stance, Watanabe expressed a desire for Korean participation, while the Japanese government has maintained a position of responding only after the committee's final decision.

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Progress in the interpretation and exhibition strategy for the entire history of the heritage, but it is not sufficient. We recommend that the State Party comprehensively reflect the entire history of the heritage across all periods of mining development in close consultation with the State Party.