Chosei Mine remains unidentified after DNA testing fails to match relatives

The South Korean government has announced that DNA testing results for remains recovered from the Chosei Mine in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, failed to establish a match with known relatives in either Japan or South Korea.

The Chosei Mine flooding accident occurred in 1942 during wartime, resulting in the deaths of 183 people, including 136 individuals from the Korean Peninsula. While remains were recovered in August last year and February this year, the DNA profiles did not correspond to the family DNA held by both governments.

Although the testing confirmed that the remains found in August belonged to the same male and the remains found in February belonged to a different male, their specific identities remain unconfirmed. In response, a South Korean bereaved families association issued a protest, stating that labeling the victims as ‘unrelated’ should not serve as a justification for states to cease their duty to locate surviving family members.