The ministry said it conveyed Seoul's position on the matter to Tokyo the day after its decision to boycott the Japan-hosted event held last Sunday on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, a site of imperial Japan's mobilization of South Koreans into forced labor.
Seoul held a separate memorial service on Monday, the day after it boycotted the event.
The decision was made in response to Tokyo's omission of "forced mobilization of laborers" from its eulogy at the service, which was even led by far-right wingers. This prompted Seoul to question the sincerity of Japan's apology for its wartime atrocities, turning it into a half-hearted event.
"The service fell short of the level agreed upon when the gold mines in Sado were registered as a UNESCO cultural heritage site," said a ministry official, explaining the reason for its absence from the service.
The Sado mines were designated a UNESCO cultural heritage site in July this year on the condition that Japan would include an exhibit on forced labor victims and hold a memorial service annually.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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