Korea says Japan rejected request for 'forced' labor description at Sado mines

Diplomacy

Korea says Japan rejected request for 'forced' labor description at Sado mines

Published: 06 Aug. 2024, 18:57

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong speaks during a regular press briefing at the ministry building in Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the government had requested that the word “forced” be used in the exhibition on the Sado mines, but that Japan had refused.

The Sado mines, a site associated with large-scale forced labor of Koreans during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, were registered as a Unesco World Heritage site on July 27. As part of the agreement to secure Korea's consent for the registration, Japan committed to two main actions: establishing an exhibition hall near the Sado mines and holding an annual memorial ceremony for all laborers, including those from the Korean Peninsula.

An exhibition space at the Aikawa History Museum about two kilometers from the mines' site was established as a result, but the specific wording describing the forced mobilization of Korean workers sparked criticism.

The exhibition at the Aikawa History Museum explains that the National Mobilization Law, promulgated in 1938, introduced "open recruitment," "official placement" and "requisition" in the Korean Peninsula. The exhibit also describes the harsh working conditions, stating that a higher percentage of workers from the Korean Peninsula were engaged in dangerous tasks inside the mine shafts. However, there is no mention of the forced mobilization of Korean laborers.

In a response submitted to Rep. Lee Jae-jung of the Democratic Party on Tuesday, Seoul's Foreign Ministry stated that "during the process of discussing the contents of the exhibition, we requested Japan to provide historical materials and exhibition texts containing the word 'forced,' but Japan ultimately did not accept our request."

The exhibition at the Aikawa History Museum opened on July 28, two days after the mines were registered as a Unesco World Heritage site.

The Foreign Ministry previously explained that the content of the museum exhibition "reflected the coercive nature" of Korean workers at the Sado mines.

Earlier Tuesday, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik issued a statement calling for the Foreign Ministry to disclose all details of the negotiations with Japan on the Sado mines, saying that the government had made a "very wrong decision" regarding the Unesco registration.

Regarding this request, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said that the ministry "will carefully review the statement and explain the matter to the National Assembly going forward" during a regular press briefing on the same day without further details.

Similarly, in 2015, when Japan registered the Hashima Island, or the "Battleship Island" — another site linked to the forced labor of Koreans in Nagasaki Prefecture — as a Unesco World Heritage site, it acknowledged the forced labor of Koreans and promised to set up an information center to honor the victims. However, criticism arose after it emerged that the center was located in Tokyo, far from the island, and provided insufficient information.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]