The South Korean government confirmed Thursday that it will not attend a Japan-hosted memorial ceremony for Koreans forced to work at the gold mines on Sado Island during Japan’s colonial rule, mirroring last year’s decision.
Seoul and Tokyo “failed to narrow their differences over key issues in the end,” despite “sincere negotiations” between the two sides, a Korean government official said on condition of anonymity.
The official further explained that the two sides could not find common ground on specific wording in a memorial address regarding the issue of forced labor.
“Our government considered that one cannot avoid mentioning the origin and nature of their suffering in order to properly mourn the deceased Korean workers at the Sado mine,” the official said.
“In other words, we judged that the commemoration can have the dignity befitting a memorial only if it is appropriately stated that Korean workers were mobilized against their will and forced to labor,” the official added.
The official also added that another key factor in deciding not to attend the memorial service was the lack of time to resolve differences and prepare, including arrangements for the participation of bereaved families traveling from South Korea to Japan.
Japanese local authorities have said the memorial service will be held on Sept. 13.
The South Korean government informed bereaved families that it will hold a separate memorial at the site since it will not attend Japan's service, according to an official.
The official noted that details like the timing and number of participants are still being worked out. Once plans are more settled, the information will be shared.
This marks the second time since 2024 that South Korea has skipped a memorial ceremony hosted by Japan. The decision was largely due to what South Korea saw as insufficient expressions in the memorial address.
Last year's decision came at the last minute, just a day before the memorial service in Japan.
The ceremony was pledged by the Japanese government as part of its efforts to secure South Korea’s consent for the inscription of the Sado Island Gold Mines on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list last year. The site has a dark history of large-scale exploitation of Korean forced laborers under brutal conditions during Japan's forced occupation over the Korean Peninsula from 1910-45.
The Japanese delegation pledged to hold an annual “memorial event for all the workers at the Sado Island Gold Mines” during a UNESCO meeting in July 2024.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
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