11 World heritage candidates cited by Japan were ‘places of Korean slave laborers’

A considerable number of historical sites that the Japanese government decided to recommend as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites by labeling them as remains of its industrial revolution have been confirmed to be places where Korean slave laborers suffered painful and tortuous life. Criticism has been raised over Tokyo’s move to register them as what it calls proud Cultural Heritage sites. However, the Japanese government denied criticism by saying that “historical matters are not related to registration of World Cultural Heritage.”

According to examination by The Dong-A Ilbo based on the number of slave laborers registered with a related commission under the Korean Prime Minister’s Office, at least 1,481 Korean slave labors were forced to work at 11 historical sites of Japan’s industrial evolution, which the island country has decided to recommend to UNESCO as its World Cultural Heritage sites. But this number is just a very small part since the number of mobilized Korean laborers reached as many as 63,700 according to a probe by Japanese civic groups.

After acquiring the list of 28 historical sites, The Dong-A Ilbo recently requested an analysis on this to the Commission on Verification and Support for the Victims of Forced Mobilization under the Prime Minister’s Office of Korea.

Historical sites where Koreans were forced to labor are 11 places, including three shipbuilding-related sites such as Nagasaki Dockyard, three steel mill-related places including Yawata Steel Works, three sites of Miike Mine, Hashima Mine and Dakashima Mine. At least 149 Koreans are confirmed to have been forced to slave labor at three sites of Nagasaki Dockyard. But the number of slave laborers at the site amounted up to 4,700, far larger than 149, according to the organization to protect human rights of ethnic Koreans in Nagasaki, a civic group in Japan.

The Regional Revitalization Bureau under the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat, which is working on the registration of World Cultural Heritage sites, told The Dong-A Ilbo over the phone that “historical issues such as conscripted laborer are not a criterion of evaluation in registering a UNESCO heritage site. We judged that the sites have historical values given their role in the rapid industrialization of Japan.”

“Since UNESCO designates places having universal values for humanity as World Cultural Heritage sites, places where Koreans suffered painful and tortuous labor are not appropriate,” said Jeong Hye-gyeong, a senior staff at the verification commission. She stressed that “It is act of distorting to only highlight positive aspects by saying that they symbolize Japan’s modernization.” The Regional Revitalization Bureau of Japan submitted the list of 28 candidates to UNESCO on September 30, and the result will be made in 2015 after undergoing UNESCO`s onsite inspection.