Photo : YONHAP News
A government-civilian joint task force convened its inaugural meeting on Friday, to discuss response measures to Japan’s push to designate a colonial-era mine as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Officials from the ministries of foreign affairs, culture, interior, and education, and the Cultural Heritage Administration, as well as around ten experts, reportedly discussed step-by-step strategies and tasks.
Earlier this week, Japan’s Fumio Kishida Cabinet submitted its recommendation for UNESCO to designate the Sado mine in Niigata Prefecture next year.
The mine, which originally operated as a gold mine, was turned into a facility to produce war-related materials, such as copper, iron and zinc, during World War Two. Up to one-thousand-200 Koreans are estimated to have been forced into labor at the site.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong protested Tokyo’s move during a phone conversation with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi, saying Japan has neglected its painful history of colonial-era forced labor.
The minister urged Tokyo to fulfill an earlier pledge to inform people about the forced labor of Koreans on Hashima Island, a site recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2015.
According to Kyodo News, Hayashi, in response, expressed regret over what he said were Seoul’s “unilateral claims.”
Task Force Discusses Response to Japan Seeking UNESCO Designation for Sado Mine
Source: Matira Matibay
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