SADO, Japan (AP) — South Korea paid tribute to wartime Korean forced laborers at Japan’s Sado Island Gold Mines in a memorial ceremony on Monday, a day after boycotting a similar event organized by Japan, as tensions over historical atrocities continue to impact relations between the two sides.
Monday's ceremony at a former dormitory near the 16th century Sado mines, which were listed this summer as a UNESCO World Heritage site, was organized by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and attended by nine families of Korean wartime laborers, the country’s ambassador to Japan and other officials.
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Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Offering by the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials are seen at an alter after a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, bottom left, leaves after a memorial service with the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, speaks with the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, after a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, right, bows to an altar as the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, front left, looks at a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, left, walks with the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials to hold a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, right, delivers a speech to the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, delivers a speech as relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials hold a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, arrives to join the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials to hold a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A staff prepare offerings prior to a memorial service held by relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer flowers during a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads " A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, delivers a speech as relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials hold a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The venue of a memorial service for relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials is seen in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a minute of silence during a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Japan on Sunday held a memorial service for all workers at the Sado mines, including Koreans. It thanked them for their contributions at the mines but did not acknowledge their forced labor or issue an apology.
At the Korean-sponsored memorial on Monday, participants in dark suits observed a moment of silence and offered white chrysanthemums in honor of the South Korean laborers, along with offerings such as dried fish, sliced apple and pears.
In a short speech, South Korea's Ambassador to Japan Park Choel-hee offered his condolences to the forced laborers and their families, expressing hopes that the memorial would bring comfort to families. He said South Korea and Japan should both make efforts to ensure that the painful wartime history is remembered.
“We will never forget the tears and sacrifices of the Korean workers behind the history of the Sado mines,” Park said.
“I sincerely hope that today will be a day of remembrance for all the Korean workers who suffered indescribable pain under harsh conditions, and that this memorial service will bring comfort to the souls of the deceased Korean workers and their bereaved families,” Park added.
At the mines, about 1,500 Koreans were forced to labor under abusive and brutal conditions during World War II, historians say.
Sunday’s ceremony, which was supposed to further mend wounds, renewed tensions between the two sides. South Korea announced Saturday its decision to not attend the Japanese-organized ceremony, citing unspecified disagreements with Tokyo over the event.
There was speculation that the South Korean boycott was related to parliamentary vice minister Akiko Ikuina's attendance at Sunday’s ceremony.
Ikuina reportedly visited Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine in August 2022, weeks after she was elected as a lawmaker. Japan’s neighbors view Yasukuni, which commemorates 2.5 million war dead, including war criminals, as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.
The Sado mines were registered as a UNESCO cultural heritage site in July after Japan agreed to include an exhibit on the conditions of Korean forced laborers and to hold a memorial service annually, after repeated protests from the South Korean government.
Signs, including one at the site where South Koreans held their ceremony, have been erected indicating former sites of Korean laborers’ dormitories. A city-operated museum in the area also added a section about Korean laborers, but a private museum attached to the main UNESCO site doesn’t mention them at all.
The site of South Korea's memorial was the former Fourth Souai Dormitory, one of four dorms for Korean laborers without families. A newly erected sign there reads, “Workers from the Korean Peninsula lived here during the wartime.”
On Saturday, the families visited a former housing site where Korean laborers lived. They also briefly saw the city-run museum and an exhibit on the Korean laborers as they listened to explanations through a translator.
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Offering by the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials are seen at an alter after a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, bottom left, leaves after a memorial service with the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, speaks with the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, after a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, right, bows to an altar as the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, front left, looks at a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, left, walks with the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials to hold a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, right, delivers a speech to the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials during a memorial service at the site of former Fourth Souai Dormitory for the mine workers from the Korean Peninsula, in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, delivers a speech as relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials hold a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, arrives to join the relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials to hold a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A staff prepare offerings prior to a memorial service held by relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer flowers during a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads " A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee, center, delivers a speech as relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials hold a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The venue of a memorial service for relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials is seen in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. The black banner reads "A memorial service for Korean forced laborer victims at Sado Mine." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a minute of silence during a memorial service in Sado, Niigata prefecture, Japan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
