UNESCO review finds Japan's Sado mines follow-up still falls short

Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday that a draft UNESCO decision validates its long-standing position that Japan has failed to adequately address the "whole history" of Korean forced labor at the Sado Island Gold Mines, as the World Heritage Committee (WHC) prepares to adopt the review at its 48th session in Busan.

The finding is part of a review of Japan's State of Conservation (SOC) report on the site, which sets a new deadline for Japan to submit a further progress report by Dec.

1, 2027, for review at the 50th WHC session the following year.

“The government views the review as a step toward bringing Japan’s conservation efforts back under evaluation at the upcoming WHC session, based on the understanding that despite Japan's progress in developing an interpretation and presentation strategy and facilities, the measures still fall short,” a senior foreign ministry official said.

The official said the review's call for Japan to consult closely with Korea on the site's interpretation strategy reflects Seoul's consistent position that the committee needed to revisit Japan's co ...