Korean government holds memorial ceremony for Korean victims of Sado Mine... Held separately from Japan for the third year

On the 13th, the Korean government held a separate memorial ceremony for the Korean victims of forced labor at the Sado Mine on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan for the third consecutive year.

When Japan listed the Sado Mine as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2024, Korea and Japan agreed to hold a memorial service on site every year. However, as the Japanese authorities showed no intention of acknowledging the forced labor of Koreans, the Korean government held a separate memorial service with Japan for the third year until this year.

The memorial service was held this morning at a hotel venue on Sado Island with nine Korean bereaved family members and Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk in attendance.

In his eulogy, Ambassador Lee Hyuk said, "Here on Sado Island, there were many Korean workers who were mobilized against their will and forced to work through methods such as recruiting, arranging government posts, and conscription under the involvement of the Government General of Korea during the Japanese colonial period. We convey our sincere condolences, remembering the hardships and sorrows of the deceased who had to endure harsh labor and poor living conditions."

He added, "Reflecting on the pain of the past and sharing condolences here today will further deepen these feelings of empathy and healing, and will be an opportunity for everyone to fully understand the entire history of the Sado Mine as a world heritage site."

Ambassador Lee emphasized, "I hope that in the future, Korea and Japan will remember the history of pain and suffering together and move toward a bright future of cooperation and solidarity."

Mr. Choi Jae-seok, the representative of the bereaved family, recalled, "My father was dragged into the deep, dark shaft of the Sado Mine here when he was a young man, not even 20 years old. It was not until long after my father passed away that I became aware of the traces of that dark suffering."

He continued, "My father was a person who was more rigid than anyone else in his life and could not tolerate injustice. The memory of forced conscription must have been a painful wound that he could not bear to bring up," and "The anger and tears that I had to swallow are conveyed deep in my heart and my throat is full."

Regarding the forced conscription at Sado Mine, he mourned the deceased, saying, "It is not the pain of just one father, but a wound that all of us must bear," and "We must become a priming water for the truth and call out the names of my father and the victims of conscription, one by one."

The Korean government had not participated in the memorial event hosted by Japan for three consecutive years until this year.

The Japanese side held a memorial service for the Sado Mine on September 12, but there was no mention of Korean forced labor at this year's memorial service.

According to Japanese media, Yukiya Hamamoto, director-level official for international cultural exchanges at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time, said in a memorial address, "Workers from the Korean peninsula engaged in hard labor in dangerous and harsh environments called pit mines during the war."

He went on to express his condolences, saying, "Unfortunately, there are people who lost their lives here," but it contained only a memorial service that was very different from the year before or last year, and did not mention anything about the forced labor of Koreans.