New evidence reveals Koreans recruited to work in Japanese coal mine

Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Nearly 2,000 Korean laborers worked at a coal mine in Fukuoka, Japan, during the colonial period, according to research revealed on Thursday by Seoul's National Archives.

A total of previously unknown 1,896 Koreans worked as forced laborers in a mine in Kaijima in Fukuoka prefecture during World War II, Newsis reported Thursday.

Worker deaths, escape attempts and repatriation were also recorded, according to Newsis.

The books are being revealed in South Korea one year after a South Korean court ordered Japanese firms involved in wartime forced labor to compensate past victims.

The findings are part of research conducted by Kim Gwang-ryeol, an ethnic Korean who resided in Japan before his death in 2015, the National Archives said.

Kim migrated to Japan in 1943 to work as a teacher and spent four decades amassing evidence of Japan's forced labor policy.

Kim donated his findings to Seoul, including the original roster of Korean forced laborers. The books include names of the workers, dates of birth, family origins and the date of employment.

Kim donated the books to Seoul's National Archives in 2017, according to News 1.

Ages ranged widely among the workers. Yonhap reported the book includes evidence a 15-year-old girl from the city of Busan was recruited as a delivery person.

The books list a total of 8,486 individuals recruited to work in harsh conditions. Of that number, 1,896 people were identified as ethnic Koreans, according to the report.

The books were created during wartime by the colonial Japanese government-general of Korea in 1940, News 1 reported.

On Thursday, the government agency did not reveal the contents of all the books, 2,337 volumes in total, including photographs and drawings.