Korea not to attend Japan's Sado mine memorial event this year for 3rd year
Summary
Korea will not attend Japan's memorial ceremony for victims of wartime forced labor at the Sado mine complex in Niigata Prefecture on Saturday for the third consecutive year, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Seoul and Tokyo again failed to agree on how to address the coercive mobilization of Korean workers in the ceremony. Korea said it will hold its own ceremony later this year. The ministry also urged Japan to fully implement recommendations from the World Heritage Committee.
Key Facts
- Korea boycotted the Japanese-hosted Sado mine memorial ceremonies in 2024 and 2025 and plans to do so again this year.
- The Sado mine complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2024.
- In July, the World Heritage Committee called on Japan to adequately reflect the whole history of the Sado mine and asked for further clarification on its interpretation and presentation strategy.
- Seoul officials said more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
Participants attend a memorial ceremony commemorating the victims of forced labor at a gold mine complex in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Sept. 13, 2025. Yonhap
Korea will not attend Japan's memorial ceremony for victims of wartime forced labor at the Sado mine complex for the third consecutive year, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Japan plans to hold a memorial ceremony for the victims in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Saturday, where many Koreans were forced to toil during World War II.
Seoul's boycott comes after the two countries again failed to reach an agreement on key issues surrounding the commemoration, such as how to address the coercive nature of the mobilization of Korean workers in the memorial ceremony.
"We had continued serious consultations with Japan to ensure that this year's ceremony could be held in a complete and proper manner, but decided not to attend after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on key points," the ministry said in a release sent to reporters.
It also urged Japan to "fully and faithfully implement" the recommendations set out in a decision adopted by the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee.
Holding an annual memorial ceremony for the mine victims was part of Japan's pledge when the Sado mine complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2024.
Korea boycotted the Japanese-hosted ceremonies in 2024 and 2025, citing Tokyo's lack of sincerity in honoring the victims, and instead held separate ceremonies near the Sado site.
"We plan to hold our own ceremony later this year," a Seoul ministry official said.
In July, the World Heritage Committee adopted a decision calling on Japan to adequately reflect the "whole history" of the Sado mine, noting the need for "further clarification" on its interpretation and presentation strategy and facilities "throughout all periods of mining exploitation."
The "whole history" includes the period during which more than 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, Seoul officials said. Once known for its gold production, the complex was later used to produce war supplies for the Japanese imperial army during World War II.
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