South Korea Criticizes Japan’s Handling of UNESCO World Heritage Site and Forced Labor Memorial

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has faced criticism for its handling of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the Sado Mine, where forced labor by Koreans took place. The government has yet to hold a memorial service for the workers, which it said was an achievement it received from Japan.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yeol responded to a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-jung about the memorial service, stating that Japan is reviewing it internally and multiple locations are being considered. However, he acknowledged that the timing and level of attendance for the memorial service have yet to be determined.

Lawmakers have pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 5th that there was “nothing to say at this stage” regarding the current status of negotiations between Korea and Japan regarding holding a memorial service. The date, attendees, and scale of the memorial service should have been more clearly determined during the UNESCO registration negotiations.

The government has reportedly not yet secured a list of forced laborers that must be included in the memorial service. Minister Cho said that the government has a separate list that it has secured, and there is data collected from various academic circles, but in order to create a more complete list, it requested the list held by Niigata Prefecture.

Rep. Lee Jae-jung asked whether the memorial service would be held this year, and Minister Cho replied, “It will be held. I will make sure it is held.”

Rep. Cho Jeong-sik criticized, “We agreed to UNESCO’s registration, but the memorial service is being postponed day after day, and there is no (exact) object of memorial. What kind of disgrace is that?” and “It’s like being humiliated twice by Japan.”

Ukishima Maru Passenger List Received from Japan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it received a portion of the passenger list from Japan as a result of negotiations. Ukishima-maru was a Japanese naval transport ship heading to Busan carrying Korean workers who were trying to return home right after liberation in 1945.

However, the Japanese government has raised suspicions by not salvaging the ship or recovering remains for several years since then. They have also maintained that they cannot identify the passengers, saying there is no passenger list.

Minister Cho evaluated the receipt of the Ukishima Maru passenger list from Japan as a “forward-looking measure by Japan.”

Girl of Peace Statue in Berlin, Germany

Regarding the issue of the Girl of Peace statue in Berlin, Germany, whose removal deadline has been set for the 28th of this month, Minister Cho said, “Since the issue of the overseas girl statue was led by the private sector, I think it would be desirable for the governments of both countries not to get involved.”

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Jae-kang claimed, “The Japanese government is exerting all-out pressure and lobbying to remove the statue of a girl, but the government is not responding to the issue of past history.”

In response, Minister Cho said, “We have never been negligent in responding to past history,” and argued, “It is unreasonable to judge the government’s position on past history based on the size of the budget.”

Reporter Lee Jae-ho