On November 19, the Northeast Asian History Foundation held an international academic conference in the foundation’s main conference room on the topic of Japan's modern industrial heritage. The theme of the conference was "Conflicts and Cooperation Surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Registration."

On July 27, during the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, the committee made a final decision to register the Sado Mine in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The South Korean government agreed to the registration decision under the condition that Japan would faithfully implement the recommendations of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to reflect the full history of the Sado Mine site, including the forced labor of Koreans. However, there has been criticism that the exhibition related to the Korean laborers does not explicitly state the forced nature of the labor.

In light of these developments, the international academic conference was held to review various conflicts surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage registration and how they have been resolved through international examples. Following the confirmation of the Sado Mine's World Heritage status, there are expectations for further attempts to register Japan's modern industrial heritage, including sites like the Kurobe Dam and Ashio Mine. The conference aimed to reassess the status of these potential candidates for World Heritage registration and explore the conflicts and cooperation among nations regarding UNESCO listings. Additionally, the conference sought to understand the issues between South Korea and Japan from an international perspective. Through broad discussions on these issues, the conference aimed to explore ways of sharing the research and visions of international scholars and activists by engaging with the global community.

Secretary-General Chung, Yong Sang stated that he hopes this international academic conference will contribute to examining the conflicts and cooperation surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage registration, enabling a global historical perspective on Japan's industrial heritage issues and helping to seek fundamental solutions to these challenges.