"The Half" Sado Mine Memorial Ceremony...There's no compulsion or apology.

As the Korean government and bereaved families are excluded, a 'half-way event'
Controversy over the history of Japanese government representatives' visits to Yasukuni
Ikuina Political Officer "sentrance to all the workers who were sacrificed"

[Anchor]
With the absence of our government personnel, the Sado Mine Memorial Ceremony was held amid criticism that it was a "half-length" event.

At the memorial service, the Japanese side mentioned some Korean workers and expressed condolences to all workers, but did not express forced labor or apology.

Correspondent Kim Se-ho's report from Sado City, Nikata Prefecture, Japan.

[Reporter]
The Sado Mine Memorial Ceremony was held for the first time since the Sado Mine was listed as a World Heritage Site in July.

It was a "half-way event" that was empty as the Korean government and the bereaved family were absent.

Japanese government representative Akiko Ikuina's history of visiting Yasukuni became known.

This is because the Korean government announced its intention not to participate and the bereaved families agreed.

The Japanese side devoted much of the memorial service to giving Sado mine the World Heritage significance.

Ikuina, a political officer at the center of the controversy, said she would like to express her condolences to all the workers who were killed, noting that Koreans worked in harsh conditions.

[Akiko Ikuina / Japanese Foreign Ministry Political Officer: I would like to express my sincere respect for the hard work of our ancestors and express my deepest condolences to all who died]

There is no expression of apology to Koreans, and the object of mourning is not clear.

When asked about the position of apology to Korean workers to the event organizers, they answered that they expressed all of them as condolences.

[Ryugo Watanabe / Mayor of Sado, Japan] I expressed my condolences. There is an intergovernmental conversation about such historical issues.

Also, there was no expression related to forced labor at this memorial service.

In the end, our government decided to hold a separate memorial service with the bereaved families.

The Japanese government has continued to communicate respectfully with our government regarding the memorial service, expressing regret for our absence.

Although Japan is said to have the form of an Sado mine memorial ceremony, it seems hard to avoid criticism that it stayed at the show ceremony as the recognition and apology for the forced labor of Koreans were omitted.

I am Kim Se-ho from YTN in Sado City, Japan.