World · East Asia & Pacific · 4 hrs ago
Korean professor urges history signs at Japan’s Toyo Battery
Professor Seo Kyung-duk urged Nagasaki Prefecture to install multilingual signs at Toyo Battery on the Japanese island of Tsushima.
The signs should explain that Koreans were forced to work there during construction.
Built in the 1930s, the military site was intended to help Japan control the Korea Strait.
Seo said the existing Japanese sign presents Toyo Battery as a tourist attraction but leaves out the forced labor history.
He noted that about 270,000 Korean tourists visited Tsushima last year, and called for the history to be clearly explained to visitors.
Seo also criticized Japan for not fully explaining Korean labor exploitation at sites including Hashima, despite commitments made during its UNESCO World Heritage listing.
He has asked the prefecture to act soon and said he will keep campaigning for accurate signs.
Professor Seo Kyung-duk urged Nagasaki Prefecture to install multilingual signs at Toyo Battery on Japan’s Tsushima Island.
He said the existing Japanese sign presents the site as a tourist attraction but omits the forced labor of Koreans during its construction.
Seo visited Tsushima with 40 citizens as part of a history tour project.
He said about 270,000 South Korean tourists visited Tsushima last year.
- Who
- Professor Seo Kyung-duk urged Nagasaki Prefecture to act.
- What
- He called for multilingual signs at Toyo Battery that describe the forced labor of Koreans.
- When
- Seo said he visited Tsushima last weekend and posted about the issue on the 4th.
- Where
- Toyo Battery on Tsushima Island, Japan.
- Why
- He said the existing sign presents the site as a tourist attraction but omits the history of forced labor.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Seo visited Tsushima with 40 citizens as part of the Republic of Korea History Tour Project.
Seo posted about the visit and urged Nagasaki Prefecture to install multilingual signs.
- Site
- Toyo Battery, Tsushima Island, Japan
- Construction
- Built in the 1930s to secure control of the Korea Strait
- Tourists
- About 270,000 South Korean visitors came to Tsushima last year
- Tour group
- Seo visited with 40 citizens
- Campaign
- The Republic of Korea History Tour Project has run for eight years
1 source
What people are saying
I will do my best to ensure that proper signs are installed
The Japanese-language sign introduces Toyo Battery as a tourist attraction, but conceals the historical fact that Koreans were forcibly mobilized there