SEOUL – South Korea won’t ship officers to Saturday’s memorial service on the Sado Island Gold Mines, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage website in Niigata Prefecture, it was discovered Wednesday.
It will likely be the third consecutive yr of South Korea’s absence from the memorial service, which honors employees on the now-defunct mines.
In line with a South Korean authorities supply, Seoul held severe consultations with the Japanese aspect however couldn’t attain an settlement on key disputed factors.
The 2 sides are believed to stay at odds over whether or not laborers from the Korean Peninsula have been compelled to work on the mines.
The South Korean authorities is anticipated to carry a separate memorial ceremony this yr as nicely.
In 2024, the Sado gold mines have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage checklist after Japan gained the consent of South Korea, which had claimed that the mines have been a website of compelled labor, by promising to carry an annual memorial ceremony for all employees on the mines.
This July, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee adopted a decision calling for enhancements to the positioning’s displays to offer a complete view of the historical past of mining on the island.
The South Korean authorities supply urged Japan to adjust to the decision totally and in good religion.
