Korea to hold separate memorial for Sado mine forced labor victims for 3rd straight year
Summary
Korea will hold a separate memorial ceremony for Korean victims of wartime forced labor at the Sado mine in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Nov. 13. Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk and nine victims’ family members are expected to attend, followed by visits to former worker sites. It will be the third consecutive year Korea has held its own ceremony amid disagreement with Japan over acknowledging the coercive nature of the workers’ mobilization. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has also called for Japan to clarify how the mine’s presentation reflects its whole history.
Key Facts
- The Japanese government held its own memorial ceremony in September, represented by a director general-level foreign ministry official, but made no mention of the forced labor of Koreans.
- Japan pledged to hold an annual memorial ceremony as it sought Korea’s cooperation for the Sado mine complex’s UNESCO World Heritage inscription in July 2024.
- A World Heritage Committee decision adopted in July 2026 urged Japan to submit a follow-up implementation report by December 2027.
- Foreign ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said participants would lay flowers at the site of a dormitory for Korean workers and pay tribute at other major sites associated with them.
A memorial ceremony for Korean victims of wartime labor is held at Sado mine complex's site of a dormitory for Korean workers in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Nov. 25, 2024. Yonhap
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 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 Korea has held a separate ceremony from Japan's, following disagreements over how to address the forced labor of Korean workers.
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 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 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.
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