Memorial event for Sado Island Gold Mine workers to be held on November 24th - Will there be more attendees than the parliamentary vice-ministers requested by the South Korean side?

In connection with the "Sado Island Gold Mine" in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, which was registered as a World Heritage Site in July this year, a memorial event will be held on November 24th for all workers, including former members of the Korean Peninsula, who were killed in the gold mine.
The Niigata Nippo newspaper, a local newspaper, reported that the Sado Island Gold Mine is being considered for World Heritage Site status, with South Korea claiming that Koreans were forced to work there during the war.
At first, there was opposition to the registration. At the time of registration, the representative of the Japanese government stated that a memorial event for all Korean workers, including former members, would be held locally every year. This point was agreed upon with the South Korean government, which ultimately approved the registration.
Regarding this year's event, the spokesperson for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they were making arrangements to hold it around autumn, but the date has not been finalized, and related questions have been raised in the South Korean National Assembly.
The date of the event was attracting attention. The "Sado Island Gold Mine" consists of two mining ruins, the "Aikawa Tsurushi Gold and Silver Mine" and the "Nishimikawa Gold and Sand Mine." In the 17th century, it was one of the world's largest gold producing areas.
The mine continued to operate until 1989. The Japanese government and Niigata Prefecture say that "during the Edo period, a large-scale gold production system was developed using traditional handicraft techniques that differed from those in Europe, making it a rare mine in the world."
On the other hand, Korean former member workers were mobilized to the Sado Gold Mine to make up for the labor shortage during the war. Therefore, the Korean side initially did not intend for the "Sado Gold Mine" to be registered as a World Heritage Site.
Korea is a member of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Committee, which decides whether or not to register the site. As a rule, World Heritage registration must be unanimous among the member countries, Japan opposed the "Sado Island Gold Coast."
When Japan was seeking to register the "Mt. Kim Jong Un" as a World Heritage Site, it was basically required to obtain the consent of South Korea. South Korea said that if Japan were to seek registration, it would have to agree to the removal of the Korean Peninsula where former members of the Korean Peninsula had engaged in forced labor.
However, Japan and South Korea have different views on whether or not it was forced labor, and in April 2021, the Japanese government announced that it would hold a Cabinet meeting to decide whether or not the laborers who were sent from the Korean Peninsula to mainland Japan during the last war were to be included in the list of those who were forced to work.
The Cabinet decided on a written response stating that the mobilization of Korean workers "does not constitute forced labor." Japan has been holding secret discussions with the Korean side, and at an exhibition facility in Sado City, it has been holding a press conference regarding the mining workers, including former members of the Korean Peninsula.
In July, the World Heritage Committee met and after deliberation, the committee members, including South Korea, unanimously decided to register the Sado Island Gold Mine as a World Cultural Heritage site.
A prefectural representative stated, "A memorial event for all workers at the Sado Island Gold Mine will also be held on-site every year."
The memorial service was expected to be held as early as September, but South Korean diplomacy
At the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held in the same month, Minister Cho Tae-yol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) expressed his recognition that it would be difficult to hold the summit within the same month. At the time, the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election was looming in Japan, and Minister Cho said,
I think political considerations are also being considered. We are coordinating the timing (with the Japanese side)," he said. In the same month, South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee visited Niigata Prefecture. He met with Governor Hideyo Hanazumi.
Ambassador Park also met with the local government and called for efforts at the local government level to hold a memorial event as soon as possible. Ambassador Park held a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on the 7th of this month and called for the attendance of dignitaries of the rank of parliamentary vice-minister or higher at the memorial event.
"I want the Japanese government to show sincerity," he said. On the 29th, the Niigata Nippo reported that a memorial event will be held on November 24th at the Aikawa Development Center in Sado City.
It has been revealed that the event is being considered. It is expected to be held by organizing an executive committee of private organizations. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a regular press conference on the 29th, "We have not yet decided on the specifics, such as the date, time, and location of the event."
The government also did not clarify whether the South Korean side would ask the Japanese government to have more than parliamentary vice-ministers attend the memorial service.