The South Korean government held a separate memorial ceremony for Sado Jinshan labor victims for three consecutive years

On the 13th local time, the South Korean government held a memorial ceremony for the Sado Jinshan labor victims in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. This is the third consecutive year that South Korea has held a separate memorial ceremony.

Sado Kaneyama is located in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. According to Korean media, during World War II, in order to ensure the supply of war materials, Japan forced about 1,500 Korean Peninsula laborers to perform heavy labor in this gold mine. Due to the harsh and oppressive working conditions, many workers later died of pneumoconiosis.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s Ambassador to Japan Lee Hyuk and nine family members of the victims attended the event that day. Li He expressed condolences for the suffering of the workers. He said that many workers were forced to engage in hard labor and endure poor living conditions, and called on the two countries to jointly remember this history full of pain and scars.

In July 2024, Japan's Sado Jinshan was included in the World Cultural Heritage List at the 46th UNESCO World Heritage Conference. In order to win cooperation from South Korea, the Japanese government has promised to hold a memorial ceremony for the victims of forced labor. However, during the preparation and holding process, Japan has never acknowledged the relevant historical facts. Therefore, South Korea has continuously been absent from events hosted by Japan and held separate memorial ceremonies.