The interior of the "Doyu" shaft at Sado Mine, where Korean laborers were forced to work. [Provided by professor Seo Kyoung-duk]
The interior of the "Doyu" shaft at Sado Mine, where Korean laborers were forced to work. [Provided by professor Seo Kyoung-duk]

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has recommended that Japan do more to properly inform visitors about the history of forced Korean labor at Sado Mine, saying the current approach falls short.

In a decision document circulated to member states Wednesday, the committee assessed Japan's state of conservation report for Sado Mine and found that Japan has not honored the commitments it made when the site was inscribed as a World Heritage property.

The draft decision acknowledged "some progress" by Japan in implementing the committee's earlier recommendation to develop an interpretation and exhibition strategy reflecting the "full history" of the mine, but said the steps taken were insufficient. The committee called on Japan to "comprehensively address the full history of the site across all periods of mine development at the site level, and to consult closely with the states parties concerned to improve the interpretation and exhibition strategy and facilities at the site level."

While recognizing the additional measures Japan had taken toward compliance, the committee also asked Japan to explain more clearly how its interpretation and exhibition strategy and facilities comprehensively address the full history of Sado Mine, and to report regularly to the committee on relevant progress.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said the "full history" includes the history of Korean laborers being forcibly mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's colonial rule.

The committee asked Japan to submit an implementation report on the recommendations by Dec. 1, 2027. The report is to be reviewed at the 50th session of the World Heritage Committee, scheduled for 2028.

The recommendation is seen as lending weight to South Korea's position. Seoul has conveyed to Japan — including through two director-general-level bilateral meetings this year — its stance that the coercive nature of Korean labor at Sado Mine must be more explicitly reflected in the site's interpretation and exhibition, and has also continued to make its case to UNESCO.

"We view this as reflecting our consistent position at a time when Japan's implementation of the relevant recommendations has been insufficient," a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said. "We will continue our necessary efforts, consulting closely with the UNESCO Secretariat and relevant countries, to ensure Japan faithfully fulfills the World Heritage Committee's decisions and the commitments it made at the time of inscription."

The draft decision is set to be taken up as an agenda item at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, being held in Busan, between Monday and Wednesday of next week. If there are no objections among committee members, it is expected to be adopted by consensus.

Decisions adopted in this manner are binding, but it remains unclear how closely Japan will follow the recommendations, as the consequences for non-compliance are not well defined. The World Heritage Committee's website lists 1,248 cultural and natural heritage sites currently inscribed. Of these, only three have ever had their inscription revoked — and the criteria for revocation are understood to be highly restrictive, applying only in cases such as significant damage to the heritage site itself.

South Korea's term as a World Heritage Committee member runs only through next year, after which its influence within the body could diminish.

Japan, having pledged to implement the recommendations, has taken some limited steps. There had been criticism that facilities used by Korean workers at Sado Mine — such as dormitory sites and communal kitchens — were difficult to locate on-site. In the first half of this year, Japan installed more than 10 directional signs at the site pointing to those locations, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said.

Sado Mine was renowned as a gold mine during the Edo period (1603–1867) and was later used primarily to extract war materials after the Pacific War intensified. During that period, Koreans under Japanese colonial rule were forcibly mobilized to work there under harsh conditions and faced discrimination. The number of Koreans who labored at Sado Mine between 1940 and 1945 is known to be 1,519.

Sado Mine was inscribed as a World Heritage Site at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in New Delhi, India, in July 2024. Ahead of the inscription, South Korea called on Japan to reflect the "full history" of the site, including the forced labor of Koreans.

Japan, unable to ignore South Korea's demands as one of the 21 committee member states whose support was needed for inscription, agreed to them. The committee, in deciding to inscribe the site, recommended that Japan "develop an interpretation and exhibition strategy and facilities that comprehensively address the full history of the heritage across all periods of mine development at the site level," and Japan pledged to faithfully implement the recommendation.

Japan set up a dedicated space at the Aikawa Local Museum near Sado Mine to explain the harsh working conditions faced by Korean laborers and display related historical materials, but criticism has been raised that it does not adequately convey the reality of forced labor — including by avoiding the word "forced."

South Korea skipped the memorial ceremony for Korean and other workers at Sado Mine that Japan organized for two consecutive years, and its attendance this year also remains uncertain. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said of the ceremony: "Consultations have not entered a very specific stage. We understand Japan is reviewing the relevant schedule."


eyre@heraldcorp.com