Korea demands to use word 'forced' during negotiations about Sado mines but Japan reportedly rejects it

Activists of the Peaceful Action for History and Justice of Korea and Japan hold a press conference in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on July 31. Reporter Moon Jae-won

The Korean government demanded that the word "forced" be included in exhibits describing the forced labor of Koreans as a condition for Japan's Sado gold and silver mines to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it was found that Japan rejected it. Korea also proposed including testimonies from victims of forced labor in the exhibits, which Japan reportedly did not accept. Criticism has been raised that the government approved the listing of the Sado mines even after Japan rejected key requirements that clearly show the coercive nature of the forced labor at the mines.

"In the process of negotiation with Japan on the contents of the exhibition (related to the Sado mines), we requested Japanese historical documents and exhibition texts containing the word 'forced labor' from Japan, but ultimately Japan did not accept it," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a reply to Lee Jae-jeong, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, on August 6.

Earlier, the World Heritage Committee (WHC) decided to list the Sado mines as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the consent of all member countries on July 27. Through negotiations, Korea and Japan agreed that in exchange for Korea's vote in favor of the listing, Japan would display exhibits explaining the history of the forced mobilization of Korean workers at the Aikawa Folk Museum near the Sado mines. The Korean government is in a position that it can grasp the coercive nature of forced labor by looking at the exhibits, but it has been criticized for not directly using the word “forced.”

Regarding the specific historical documents and exhibition texts containing the word “forced,” the ministry said in the reply, "It is difficult for one party to disclose as it is a matter of diplomatic relations.” However, the ministry reportedly asked Japan to use various forms of expression, such as "forced mobilization" and "forced labor," during the negotiations.

The ministry has shown an ambiguous attitude as to whether it has demanded explicit expressions that show the coercive nature of the forced labor during the negotiations with Japan. An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on July 30, "When Korea and Japan consulted to organize the contents of the exhibition, we demanded many contents that clearly revealed the coercive nature, but Japan ultimately accepted the current contents of the exhibition."

The ministry also clarified that Japan had already used the term "forced labor" in 2015, so the negotiations focused on the actual contents of the exhibition rather than the wording. When Japan's Hashima Island was listed as a World Heritage Site in July 2015, Japan's chief representative said, "Many Koreans were mobilized against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions." At that time, the Korean government put much weight on the fact that Japan used the term of forced labor for the first time, but then Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (who is now the Prime Minister) quickly clarified that it did not mean forced labor.

During the negotiations, the ministry suggested that Japan also display testimonies of the Korean victims, but it was also reportedly rejected. It is pointed out that the victims’ testimonies should be included at least in order to show the context of forced labor more clearly because listing only objective data leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

DPK lawmaker Lee Jae-jeong said, "The government should reveal the process and contents of the negotiations in detail."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.