South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday that the registration of a gold and silver mine complex on Japan's Sado Island as a UNESCO World Heritage site seems likely, as it believes the two countries are reaching a consensus over the site being listed despite its links to wartime forced Korean labor.
The positive remark was made by a ministry official and comes against a backdrop of South Korea having argued that laborers from the Korean Peninsula were forced to work at the complex during Japanese colonial rule.
The South Korean government has previously raised concerns about listing the site as one of World Cultural Heritage, urging that its "whole history" be reflected at the site if it is registered.
One of the main reasons the two sides are reaching a consensus, the official said, is that "Japan has promised to reflect its 'whole history' and has already taken practical measures to achieve this," without detailing the measures.
The agreement appears to have been made last-minute, with the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization set to decide on whether it adds the complex to its World Cultural Heritage list during a meeting on Saturday, after its advisory body in June suggested the nomination be referred back to Japan for additional details.
There is still opposition among people in South Korea to the site being listed, with the country's parliament on Thursday adopting a resolution urging Japan to withdraw its bid to have the coplex registered, with all 225 members in attendance voting in favor.
A Japanese government source said negotiations with South Korea "are moving forward, though it is not yet known" whether the two countries will reach an agreement over the registration.
Both Japan and South Korea sit as rotating members of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, which will make a decision at its Saturday meeting in New Delhi.
The mine complex in Japan's Niigata Prefecture is regarded as one of the world's largest producers of gold in the 17th century and is known for its pre- and post-industrialization technology.
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