Family members of Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor at the Sado mine complex during World War II explore the mines on Nov. 25, 2024. UNESCO has recommended Japan do more to reflect the "whole history" of the site. File Photo by Yonhap
An international heritage body has recommended that Japan take further steps to adequately reflect the "whole history" of the Sado mine World Heritage site, linked to the wartime mobilization of Korean laborers, saying Tokyo's related efforts remain insufficient.
The recommendation was included in a draft decision released Wednesday by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee following its review of a State of Conservation (SOC) report submitted by Japan late last year, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.
When approving the inscription of the mine as a World Heritage site in July 2024, the committee recommended that Japan present the site's "whole history" across all periods of mining activity.
South Korean foreign ministry officials said the "whole history" includes the period during which more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Once known for its gold production, the complex was later used to produce war supplies for the Japanese imperial army during World War II.
