South Korean Presidential Office: ”Japan's preemptive measures are meaningful” regarding lack of coercive powers in Sado Gold Mine

The South Korean presidential office said, "The Japanese government has taken a stance against the world's forced laborers, and has taken a stance against them, in response to the fact that the Sado Island Gold Mine in Niigata Prefecture has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"Japan took preemptive measures, such as opening an exhibition room for Korean workers, before the site was registered as a cultural heritage site," he said, emphasizing that Japan's actions were significant.
A presidential office official said on the 29th, "This is significant in that it has prompted action from the Japanese government before registration."
Although the word "coercion" is missing from the exhibition, the Presidential Office explained that "the history of that time is fully understood." It also explained, "The details of the Korean workers who were caught trying to escape and their arrests are shown.
"There are also depictions of life in prison," he said, "and in fact, you can sense the history and atmosphere of forced labor."
"The exhibit explains in both Japanese and English how the National Mobilization Law, the National Mobilization Order and other related measures were implemented on the Korean Peninsula," the museum said.
Meanwhile, on the 27th, the 46th UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided by consensus to register Japan's application for the Sado Gold Mine as a World Heritage Site.
Ambassador Yudai Kano, the Japanese representative to UNESCO, said at the meeting, "All the workers at the Sado Gold Mine, including former members of the Korean Peninsula,
"We sincerely mourn the hard-working Koreans who worked there," he said. However, despite the establishment of the exhibition room, the controversy over the Sado Gold Mine is expected to continue in South Korea. On the same day, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik said,
We have requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the chief experts of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Culture and Sports Committee, to confirm whether our government discussed with the Japanese government the expression related to "forced mobilization of Korean laborers."
The Japanese government did not comment on the public criticism that the reference to forced labor of Koreans had been omitted, but instead welcomed the change.