[News Today] Korea loses UNESCO vote on Hashima issue

[LEAD]
A promise left unfulfilled for a decade. Japan pledged to recognize forced labor on Hashima Island when registering it as a UNESCO site. With no progress made, South Korea brought the issue to a vote at the World Heritage Committee. But its call for accountability was brushed aside.

[REPORT]
When Hashima Island was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015, Japan promised to properly acknowledge the forced labor of Koreans.

Despite repeated UNESCO recommendations, Japan has ignored the promise for 10 years.

Korea, calling for continued discussion at UNESCO, clashed with Japan at the World Heritage Committee. Tokyo argued that the issue is a historical dispute that should be settled through bilateral talks.

Ha Wi-young / Foreign ministry's UNESCO task force
The current implementation, particularly at the Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Center, remains inconsistent with the committee's decisions.

Japan's envoy to UNESCO
The bilateral dialogue quote may proceed more fruitfully outside the oversight of the World Heritage Committee.

For the first time ever, UNESCO eventually put the issue to a vote to decide whether or not to include it in the committee's formal agenda.

In a secret vote by 21 member states, Japan’s proposal to stop UNESCO from addressing the issue passed with seven in favor, three against, eight abstentions, and three invalid votes.

The decision was reportedly influenced by members' fatigue over historical disputes at UNESCO and Japan’s lobbying efforts.

The Korean government expressed regret and said it would continue urging Japan to keep its promise.

Ha Wi-young / Foreign ministry's UNESCO task force
We wish to express our sincere regret that the committee was unable to retain this important item on its agenda.

With the loss in the vote, there will likely be limits to how much pressure Seoul can put on Tokyo to keep its promise.

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