Written by Jack Kim
SEOUL – After boycotting a memorial event organized by the Japanese government, South Korea on Monday held its own memorial event to honor its compatriots forced to work in Japanese mines during World War II, joining major U.S. It highlighted the sensitivities that remain among the allies.
Even though relations have generally improved in recent years as South Korea and Tokyo have tried to put aside a bitter dispute related to Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean peninsula, the monument is a graphic monument. It touched a nerve.
The South Korean government’s decision not to attend Sunday’s event at the Sado Mine follows a Kyodo News report that Japan plans to send a government official, who the news agency said was from a neighboring country. announced that they had visited the shrine, which they see as a symbol of Japan’s militaristic past.
Kyodo News issued an apology late Monday after it was revealed that it had incorrectly reported that current Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Akiko Ikuina had visited the shrine in 2022 as a member of the Diet.
Kyodo News pointed out that South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had commented on a report about Ikuina’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, saying, “This may have affected diplomacy.”
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol said in a television interview over the weekend that although the government had not been able to resolve differences in time, he believed the incident had damaged relations that had improved under President Yun Seok-Yeol. He added that it should not.
Mr. Yun has promoted strengthening tripartite security efforts between Japan and Washington.
The Korean ambassador to Japan led the commemorative event, which was attended by nine descendants of former conscripted laborers and government officials. All parallel events held by the two countries took place on Sado.
In her remarks, Ambassador Park Cheol-hee expressed deep sadness at the plight of forced laborers in South Korea and urged Japan to ensure that the painful history of the mines is not forgotten.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, “The government’s decision to hold its own memorial event without attending the Japanese memorial service is an expression of the government’s firm determination not to compromise with the Japanese side regarding past history.” Ta.
Top Japanese government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was not the Japanese government’s place to explain South Korea’s absence from the memorial ceremony held by the Japanese government.
“But we think it is unfortunate that they did not participate,” he told a daily briefing.
Hayashi added that Japan had explained to South Korea that Ikuina had not visited Yasukuni Shrine since he became a member of the Diet.
South Korea has negotiated an agreement with Japan to hold an event that explicitly mentions Korean forced laborers as a condition of supporting Tokyo’s proposal to list the Sado Mine as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
But Yun’s government drew criticism at home for failing to press Japan to recognize the dark side of the mine, which Japan praises for its long history and contribution to the country’s industrial development.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.
