Divided commemorations for Korean forced laborers imperils growing cooperation, dampening Seoul’s optimism about Ishiba
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a Liberation Day event on Aug. 15, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a press conference on Oct. 9 | Image: ROK Presidential Office, Prime Minister's Office of Japan, edited by Korea Pro
A diplomatic rift over a Japanese memorial service for Korean forced labor victims at the Sado gold mine has underscored the fragility of South Korea-Japan relations, dampening optimism in Seoul about Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s leadership and threatening fledgling bilateral cooperation.
The controversy stems from a deal that the two countries reached in July, under which Seoul agreed to support Japan’s bid to have the centuries-old mine inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in return for a commitment from Tokyo to acknowledge the history of Korean forced labor at the mine.
A diplomatic rift over a Japanese memorial service for Korean forced labor victims at the Sado gold mine has underscored the fragility of South Korea-Japan relations, dampening optimism in Seoul about Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s leadership and threatening fledgling bilateral cooperation.
The controversy stems from a deal that the two countries reached in July, under which Seoul agreed to support Japan’s bid to have the centuries-old mine inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in return for a commitment from Tokyo to acknowledge the history of Korean forced labor at the mine.
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