South Korean authorities urged Japan this Friday to fully assume its past of exploiting South Korean citizens at the Sado mining complex, located in Niigata Prefecture, during World War II. The claim coincides with the holding, for the third year in a row, of a unilateral memorial ceremony for the victims.
The South Korean ambassador in Japan, Lee Hyuk, issued the call during a ceremony on the island of Sado, which was attended by nine family members of the people being honored. In his speech, he denounced that a high number of Koreans were transferred against their will to the site and forced to work in the mines through labor recruitment and forced mobilization mechanisms promoted by Japanese authorities and the colonial government.
"Remembering the suffering of the past and paying tribute to the victims will help foster empathy and reconciliation," Lee said, who also insisted on the need for a complete understanding of the history of the site, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to statements circulated by the Yonhap news agency.
More than 1,500 Koreans were sent to these exploitations during Japan’s colonial rule over the peninsula, between 1910 and 1945. Many of them carried out dangerous underground tasks and some lost their lives in mining accidents, according to historical records and official documents.
Tokyo and Seoul had agreed to organize annual commemorative ceremonies starting in 2024, when Japan requested South Korea’s support to include the Sado complex on the World Heritage list. However, differences over the explicit recognition of the forced nature of labor mobilization have thwarted joint participation in these events, which has led Seoul to keep its own separate memorial.
The dispute has likewise moved to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which in July 2026 urged Japan to explain how the interpretation and presentation of the site reflects its entire historical trajectory, including the period when South Korean citizens were subjected to forced labor. In addition, it asked the Japanese authorities to submit a report on the implementation of these recommendations before December 2027.