South Korean government to hold separate Sado mine memorial...Attendance of bereaved families, etc.

The Korean government, which did not attend the Sado mine memorial ceremony hosted by Japan, held a separate memorial service on Sado Island today.

This morning, nine bereaved families of forced labor victims and Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Chul-hee attended the memorial service held at the site of a Korean dormitory near Sado Mine on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture.

The event led to Ambassador Park's eulogy, silent tribute, and offerings.

South Korean bereaved families and government representatives were scheduled to attend the Sado Mine Memorial Ceremony held at the Aikawa Development Center on Sado Island yesterday (24th), but they were absent in a surprise move as Japan dispatched a person with a history of visiting Yasukuni shrine as a representative.

As a result, when Japan listed the Sado mine as a World Heritage Site in July, the first worker memorial service, which promised to be held locally every year to obtain South Korea's consent, stayed at a half-length event.

Japanese government representative Akiko Ikuina mentioned Korean workers in his eulogy, but did not express any forced mobilization or apology.

Instead of missing the memorial service hosted by Japan, Korean bereaved families inspected the Aikawa Local Museum next to Sado Mine, which has an exhibition space related to Korean workers.

The Sado Mine was famous for gold mines during the Edo period (1603-1867) and was mainly used as a mine to secure copper and other war supplies after the Pacific War began in earnest.

At that time, an estimated 1,500 Koreans were forcibly mobilized and worked in harsh environments.