VANK has launched a global campaign to expose Japan’s failure to honor its promises regarding the UNESCO World Heritage designation of Sado Mine. During WWII, Sado Mine was a site of forced labor involving 1,500 Koreans—a painful history that Japan is attempting to distort and ignore.

To shed light on this, VANK has created multilingual posters distributed worldwide through platforms like “Woollim” and “Bridge Asia,” urging the Japanese government to fulfill its commitments. When seeking World Heritage status, Japan promised to:
1. Exhibit the history of forced labor.
2. Hold annual memorial services for victims.

However, these promises have been blatantly ignored. The term “forced labor” was removed from exhibitions, replaced by misleading narratives. Memorial services now feature vague messages of gratitude rather than tributes to victims, undermining their purpose.

UNESCO status demands a commitment to preserving shared history. Japan’s actions not only betray these values but also damage trust with the global community. VANK’s campaign poster, featuring a hand attempting to erase “forced labor exploitation” at Sado Mine with the message “History can never be erased,” symbolizes the enduring truth.

The poster is available for download on VANK’s website and Flickr. VANK encourages people to share it, raising their voices against historical distortion.

Director Park Ki-tae stated, “History is humanity’s shared truth. Japan must honor its commitments to restore trust.” Youth researcher Koo Seung-hyeon added, “Nations that distort history cannot lead the future.”

Since 2021, VANK has worked to expose Japan’s whitewashing of Sado Mine’s history through multilingual campaigns. This is not just a Korea-Japan issue—it’s a global fight for historical truth and justice. VANK calls on the international community to stand firm in defending UNESCO values and ensuring Japan upholds its responsibilities.