S. Korea to hold separate memorial for Sado mine forced labor victims for 3rd straight year

This will let Google show Yonhap news articles that match or are related to your search

SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will hold a separate memorial ceremony next week for Korean victims of wartime forced labor at the Sado mine complex in Japan, amid Japan's continued failure to acknowledge the coercive nature of the mobilization of Korean workers, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The ceremony will take place in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Nov. 13, with South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk, who will represent the government, and nine family members of the victims expected to attend, foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon told a regular press briefing.

Following the ceremony, participants will visit the site of a dormitory for Korean workers to lay flowers and pay tribute at other major sites associated with Korean workers, Park added.

It will mark the third consecutive year that South Korea has held a separate ceremony from Japan's, following disagreements over how to address the forced labor of Korean workers.

This file photo shows South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk reading a eulogy during a memorial service on Sado Island in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, on Nov. 21, 2025, to pay tribute to Korean victims who were forced to work at a gold and silver mine complex on the island during Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)

The Japanese government held its own memorial ceremony in September, with a director general-level official from its foreign ministry representing the government, but made no mention of the forced labor of Koreans.

Holding an annual memorial ceremony for the victims was part of Japan's pledge as it sought South Korea's cooperation for the Sado mine complex's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list in July 2024. Seoul had called on Tokyo to reflect the site's entire history, including the forced labor of Koreans.

Tokyo, however, has declined to acknowledge the coercive nature of the mobilization of Korean workers since preparations for the first ceremony in 2024, prompting South Korea to hold its own separate ceremony each year.

The issue has also been addressed by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, which in a decision adopted in July 2026 called on Japan to further clarify how the Sado mine's interpretation and presentation reflect the site's "whole history," which includes the period of forced mobilization of Korean workers.

The committee also urged Japan to submit a follow-up implementation report by December 2027.

This AP file photo shows a visitor walking through tunnels at the Sado Kinzan Gold Mine historic site in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, on Nov. 24, 2024. (Yonhap)

graceoh@yna.co.kr (END)

Japan again makes no mention of Koreans' forced labor at Sado memorial event

S. Korea not to attend Japan's Sado mine memorial event this year for 3rd year

(2nd LD) World heritage representatives gather in Busan for UNESCO committee session

UNESCO panel urges Japan to fully reflect history of forced Korean laborers at Sado mine

S. Korea to hold separate memorial for Sado mine forced labor victims for 3rd straight year

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，11月3日（韩联社）——韩国外交部周二表示，鉴于日本持续拒绝承认强征韩国劳工的强制性性质，韩国将于下周在日本佐渡矿区为二战期间被强迫劳动的韩国受害者举行单独的纪念仪式。

韩国外交部发言人朴斗顺在例行记者会上表示，仪式将于11月13日在新潟县佐渡市举行，韩国驻日本大使李赫将代表韩国政府出席，预计九名遇难者家属也将出席。

朴先生补充说，仪式结束后，参与者将前往韩国工人宿舍献花，并向其他与韩国工人相关的著名地点致敬。

这将是韩国连续第三年与日本分别举行独立于日本的纪念仪式，此前两国在如何解决韩国工人强迫劳动问题上存在分歧。

这张资料照片显示，2025年11月21日，韩国驻日本大使李赫在日本新潟县佐渡岛举行的追悼会上宣读悼词，悼念在1910年至1945年日本殖民统治朝鲜半岛期间被迫在岛上金银矿区劳作的韩国受害者。（韩联社）

日本政府于9月举行了自己的悼念仪式，由外务省一名局长级官员代表政府出席，但并未提及强征韩国劳工一事。

为纪念遇难者，日本承诺每年举行一次纪念仪式，以争取韩国的合作，将佐渡矿区列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录（2024年7月）。首尔方面曾呼吁东京方面反映该遗址的完整历史，包括韩国人被强迫劳动的历史。

然而，自 2024 年首次仪式筹备以来，东京一直拒绝承认动员韩国工人的强制性性质，这促使韩国每年都举行自己的单独仪式。

联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会也关注到了这个问题，该委员会在 2026 年 7 月通过的一项决定中呼吁日本进一步澄清佐渡矿山的诠释和展示如何反映该遗址的“完整历史”，其中包括强迫韩国工人参与的时期。

委员会还敦促日本在2027年12月之前提交一份后续执行情况报告。

这张美联社资料照片显示，2024年11月24日，一名游客正在日本新潟县佐渡市佐渡金山金矿遗址的隧道中行走。（韩联社）

graceoh@yna.co.kr (完)

在佐渡纪念活动中，日本再次对韩国人遭受强迫劳动只字未提。

韩国连续第三年不参加今年的日本佐渡矿难纪念活动

（第二届LD）世界遗产代表齐聚釜山参加联合国教科文组织委员会会议

联合国教科文组织专家组敦促日本全面正视佐渡矿山强征朝鲜劳工的历史。

韩国将连续第三年为沙渡矿难强征劳工受害者举行单独追悼会