Interior ministry says DNA tests identify two men among Chosei mine remains

The interior ministry said Friday that DNA testing on remains recovered from a Japanese coal mine where 136 Korean workers died in 1942 had identified them as belonging to two men, though neither could be matched to a bereaved family. The five sets of remains were excavated at the Chosei mine in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in August 2025 and February 2026, and the analysis was carried out through cooperation between the Korean and Japanese governments.

Four sets recovered in August 2025 came from one man, while the single set found in February 2026 was identified as another man.

Seoul has worked in parallel to secure DNA from the relatives of victims. Of the 136 Korean victims, the government has so far confirmed the bereaved families of 101, and collected and analysed DNA from the families of 98 of them. Comparisons against the family DNA held by the two governments produced no familial match, leaving the identity of the remains unresolved.

The mine flooded in 1942, killing 183 people, 136 of them labourers from the Korean Peninsula. Japanese labor ministry records show one further set of remains, believed to be a victim's, was found at the site on Feb. 6; Japan's health and labor ministry said it would respond in coordination with the relevant agencies.

The interior ministry said it would keep working to obtain additional DNA from bereaved families and maintain close communication with the Japanese side on identifying the Chosei victims.