Seoul: South Korea urged Japan to fulfill its commitment to accurately represent the history of a UNESCO World Heritage site associated with wartime forced labor, following a review of Japan's conservation report which failed to address the coercive mobilization of workers.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean foreign ministry's request came after the World Heritage Committee (WHC) released Japan's report on the Sado gold and silver mine complex, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in July last year.

South Korea, a member of the 21-nation WHC, supported the Sado mine's inscription on the condition that Japan would adhere to the WHC's recommendations, including improving the historical narrative presented at the site. "We point out that the report shows the Japanese government has failed to faithfully implement the decisions of the WHC to fully reflect the entire history of the Sado mines on site, as well as Japan's own pledges made during the inscription process," said Park Il, a foreign ministry spokesperson.

Park referenced a 2015 statement by a Japanese representative when another site linked to forced labor was recognized by UNESCO, wherein Japan acknowledged that "many Koreans were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions" and committed to reflecting that history. Takehiro Kano, Japan's UNESCO envoy, had reiterated this commitment when the Sado mines were listed, promising to consider all related pledges.

Seoul interprets Japan's statements as an affirmation of its obligation to accurately represent the mines as a site of forced labor. "Our government urges Japan to faithfully implement the WHC's decision, its own commitments and the agreements reached between the governments of South Korea and Japan," Park emphasized, adding that dialogue with Japan on follow-up measures would continue.

Japan's report is the first conservation document on the Sado mines since their inscription. A foreign ministry official noted, "Apart from partial improvements to some (Sado mine) facilities, we do not consider the interpretive strategy to have been meaningfully enhanced."

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, will assess the implementation report on the Sado mines over the coming months before presenting its findings to the WHC. "Going forward, the government will continue to urge Japan to faithfully implement the recommendations with sincerity, and we intend to continue raising this issue not only bilaterally but also within UNESCO," the official added.

The Sado mines, historically known for gold production from the 17th to 19th centuries, were repurposed during World War II to produce war supplies for Japan's imperial army. Over 1,500 Koreans were reportedly forced into labor at the mines between 1940-45, during Japan's colonial rule over Korea.

One of Japan's commitments included organizing a regular memorial ceremony to honor the forced laborers. South Korea has abstained from attending these Japan-hosted memorials for the second year due to disagreements over the event's organization, opting instead to hold its own ceremonies with bereaved families near the Sado site in Niigata Prefecture.