(2nd LD) S. Korea against Japan's UNESCO drive for slave labor sites

(ATTN: UPDATES with official's remarks in paras 8, 13)

SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will continue efforts to thwart Japan's bid for the UNESCO listing of several wartime industrial facilities, where tens of thousands of Korean slave laborers toiled, officials here said Wednesday.

A group of experts to review applications for world heritage sites has reportedly given the green light to Japan's attempt for the Paris-based organization's recognition of 23 coal mines, shipyards and other early industrial zones.

Those include seven facilities where nearly 60,000 Koreans were coerced into slave labor during World War II. Japan colonized Korea from 1910-45.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has notified Tokyo of its decision, according to Japanese media. The council is expected to announce its decision later this month.

The 21-member World Heritage Committee is scheduled to open a weeklong meeting in Germany on June 28 to decide whether to accept ICOMOS' recommendation.

"We hope that the panel will avert ICOMOS' suggestion, although it would be a rare case, or defer a final decision," a South Korean government official told Yonhap News Agency.

South Korea expects UNESCO to consider historical background and controversy in deciding whether to accept Japan's bid to win international recognition for the facilities, he said.

"ICOMOS assesses the technical aspects," another government official said. "The World Heritage Committee then holds formal discussions and the final decision is made by government representatives."

Japan's campaign is different from South Korea's undisputed efforts to register historic sites of the ancient kingdom of Baekje (18 B.C.-660 A.D.) as world heritage, the first official stressed.

Besides its plea to the international community, South Korea plans to hold talks with Japan on the matter in Tokyo this month, added the official.

"I think the dialogue will be held within May. An exact schedule has yet to be fixed," he said.

If held, he added, South Korea will likely be represented by Choi Jong-moon, former ambassador to Sri Lanka and current ambassador for cultural and UNESCO affairs.

"Many of the member nations say a heritage site is a blessing only if it is listed through a consensus," the second official said. "They say an agreement should be reached for the noble goal of peace and human culture, and do not want a vote."

Seoul will first focus efforts on persuading Tokyo to exclude the facilities where forced laborers worked from the list of candidate sites, another South Korean official said.

"As an alternative, we may consider coaxing Japan into adding a description that the seven facilities are associated with its wartime mobilization of forced laborers," he added. "We expect Japan to show responsibility."

lcd@yna.co.kr
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