UNESCO turns down Korea's bid to reassess Japan's implementation of forced labor-linked sites in unprecedented vote

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) on Monday rejected a Korean proposal calling for a review of Japan's implementation of its pledged measures regarding industrial sites linked to wartime forced labor. The decision came after the proposal was put to an unprecedented vote during the WHC session in Paris, as the committee was not able to reach a consensus on whether to include the UNESCO-listed Japanese industrial revolution sites as an agenda item for this year's meeting, which runs through next Wednesday. Of the valid votes counted, seven voted in favor of Japan, while Korea gained three votes. A simple majority of six was required for the motion to pass in Japan's favor. The vote was anonymous. The WHC has 21 member states, including Korea and Japan. Seoul had made the proposal as an effort to continue the evaluation on the status of Japan's implementation of the measures it promised to take to reflect the "full history" of the site, including Hashima Island, where many Koreans were forced into hard labor during World War II. Korea was under Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The resuWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times