Why did Korea boycott Japan’s Sado mine memorial event for the third straight year?

Korea said no agreement was reached with Japan on Seoul’s demand that the ceremony acknowledge Korean workers were mobilized against their will. Seoul also said it would hold its own ceremony later this year.

What did the World Heritage Committee ask Japan to do about the Sado mine?

The committee adopted a decision in July calling on Japan to adequately reflect the whole history of the Sado mine. It also noted the need for further clarification of Japan’s interpretation and presentation strategy and for facilities covering all periods of mining exploitation.

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

Q: What did Japan say at the Sado mine memorial ceremony in Niigata Prefecture?

Japan said workers from the Korean Peninsula engaged in arduous labor in dangerous and harsh conditions inside the mine during the war. The remarks did not explicitly mention that Korean labor was forced.

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Summary

Japan again omitted any explicit acknowledgment of forced Korean labor at a Saturday ceremony for victims of the Sado mine in Niigata Prefecture. Korea boycotted the event for the third consecutive year after saying no agreement was reached on its demand for such wording. Seoul said it would hold its own ceremony later this year and urged Japan to fully implement World Heritage Committee recommendations.

Key Facts

The annual ceremony was first held in 2024 after Japan pledged to hold it when the Sado mine was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024.
Hamamoto Yukiya, the Japanese foreign ministry’s director-general for cultural affairs, attended as a government representative with about 70 other participants.
Korea said it boycotted the event for the third consecutive year because Japan did not agree to acknowledge that Korean workers were mobilized against their will.
The World Heritage Committee in July called on Japan to reflect the whole history of the Sado mine and asked for further clarification of its interpretation and presentation strategy.
Seoul said the whole history includes the period when more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan’s 1910 to 1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 12, 2026 6:49 pm KST

Participants attend a memorial ceremony commemorating the workers from the Sado mine complex during World War II on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, off Japan's west coast, Sept. 13, 2025. Yonhap

Japan again stopped short of acknowledging the forced nature of Korean labor during a ceremony Saturday commemorating victims of a World War II-era mine complex in the country.

The annual ceremony was first held in 2024 as a fulfillment of Japan's pledge when the Sado mine in Niigata Prefecture was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024.

Hamamoto Yukiya, director-general for cultural affairs at Japan's foreign ministry, attended the ceremony in his capacity as a government representative, along with about 70 other participants.

"Workers from the Korean Peninsula engaged in arduous labor in dangerous and harsh conditions inside the mine during the war," Hamamoto was quoted as saying by Japan's Kyodo News. "Sadly, some people lost their lives here."

However, his remarks were largely similar to those made at the two previous ceremonies and made no mention of the forced nature of Korean labor at the time.

Korea boycotted the event for the third consecutive year, saying no agreement was reached with Japan on Seoul's demands that the ceremony acknowledge that Korean workers were mobilized against their will.

On Wednesday, Seoul's foreign ministry said it would hold its own ceremony later this year, urging Japan to "fully and faithfully implement" the recommendations set out in a decision adopted by the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee.

In July, the World Heritage Committee adopted a decision calling on Japan to adequately reflect the "whole history" of the Sado mine, noting the need for "further clarification" on its interpretation and presentation strategy, and facilities "throughout all periods of mining exploitation."

The "whole history" includes the period during which more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, Seoul officials said. Once known for its gold production, the complex was later used to produce war supplies for the Japanese imperial army during World War II.

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