The forced mobilization of Koreans was left out of a World Heritage introductory booklet supported by the Japanese government. In introducing the Sado Mine and Gunkanjima, the booklet did not include the labor of the Koreans mobilized to the two sites. The book was produced to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Japan's accession to UNESCO.
Forced mobilization was also not mentioned at this year's Sado Mine memorial ceremony. This has continued for three years.
When the Sado Mine was inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in July 2024, Japan pledged to interpret and display the entire history, including that of Korean workers.
The pledge Japan made can be summed up in two verbs. It said it would interpret, and it said it would display. Neither was properly kept in this booklet or at the memorial ceremony.
That pledge came from a demand by the Korean government. The Korean government demanded that the entire history, including the forced mobilization of Koreans, be reflected at the site. Criticism of Japan also followed from the time it was pursuing the inscription. The criticism was that Japan presented the mine's history, which should extend to the Japanese colonial period, narrowed down to the history of an Edo-period gold mine.
Gold mined at the Sado Mine does not rust. It is a metal whose yellow luster does not change even after long years of exposure to air and water. Human memory is not like that. If it is not recorded, it fades, and if those who record it pick and choose, only what they picked remains.
This booklet was organized around Japan's glorious aspects, including its industrialization achievements. The Sado Mine was introduced mainly through its Edo-period history. It is the same composition that drew criticism at the time of inscription.
Gunkanjima is an island that belongs to the World Heritage site 'Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution.' The labor of Koreans was also left out of the booklet's entry on Gunkanjima.
The memorial ceremony was also part of the pledge. The Sado Mine memorial ceremony, an event honoring all those who worked at the mine, was agreed upon as Japan sought Korea's cooperation while pursuing the inscription.
About 70 people attended this year's memorial ceremony. The event lasted about 30 minutes. Forced mobilization went unmentioned at the event for the third year.
A commemorative booklet is by nature a celebratory text. It is not easy to fault a country marking 75 years of UNESCO membership for selecting heritage it can be proud of. But the story of a place on the World Heritage List cannot be filled with one nation's pride alone. In 2024, Japan said it would include the entire history, including that of Korean workers.
How much of the story left out of the booklet and the memorial ceremony has been included in the on-site exhibits at the Sado Mine is something the Korean government must continue to monitor.
Japan is reportedly also pursuing the inscription of another World Heritage site. Each time the name of a new candidate comes up, how Japan kept the promises it made at the Sado Mine and Gunkanjima will also be examined.
If you have occasion to visit the Sado Mine, we recommend reading the on-site explanations all the way through. Whether the story of the gold mine ends in the Edo period or continues into the time Korean workers spent there during the Japanese colonial period can be confirmed firsthand beside those mine shafts.
