Will the Korean side take part in the Sado Gold Mine memorial ceremony this year? = Last year, they suddenly decided not to attend the day before.

A memorial event for all workers, including former members of the Korean Peninsula, who lost their lives at the Sado Island Gold Mine in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, which was registered as a World Heritage Site in July last year, will be held this month.
It has been reported by South Korean media that arrangements are being made to hold the meeting on the 13th. It is said that the Japanese side has already conveyed this intention to the South Korean side. However, the South Korean side has decided not to hold the meeting this year, just like last year.
There is a possibility that Japan will participate. At last year's memorial service, the South Korean side suddenly decided not to participate the day before due to opposition to the content of the ceremony, and instead held their own memorial service.
The "Sado Island Gold Mine" consists of two mining ruins: the "Aikawa Tsurushi Gold and Silver Mine" and the "Nishimikawa Gold Mine." In the 17th century, it became one of the world's largest gold producing areas.
The mine continued to operate until 1989. The Japanese government and Niigata Prefecture have stated that "during the Edo period, it was a rare mine in the world that developed a large-scale gold production system using traditional handicrafts that differed from those in Europe.
On the other hand, during the war, former members of the Korean peninsula were mobilized to the Sado Gold Mine to make up for the labor shortage. Therefore, the Korean side initially did not aim for the "Sado Island Gold Mine" to be registered as a World Heritage Site.
He continued to argue that if Japan were to aim for registration, it should reflect the history of forced labor of former member workers on the Korean Peninsula. However, there are differences of opinion between Japan and Korea on whether or not it constitutes forced labor.
In April 2021, the Japanese government issued a cabinet decision stating that the mobilization of workers from the Korean Peninsula to mainland Japan during the last war "does not constitute forced labor."
Japan has been holding secret discussions with the South Korean side and has begun a new exhibition on mine workers, including former members of the Korean Peninsula, at an exhibition facility in Sado City.
It was also decided that a memorial event for all the workers who worked there would be held annually at the site. Then, in July of last year, the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Committee held a meeting and, after deliberation, decided to
The Sado Island Gold Mine was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site by unanimous vote of the committee members, including the United States. The first memorial ceremony was held in Sado City last November. The memorial ceremony was held by a group of local governments and civic groups.
The memorial service was hosted by the Executive Committee and attended by approximately 70 people. Meanwhile, South Korean government officials and bereaved family members were also scheduled to attend the memorial service, but the South Korean side complained that the content of the memorial speeches did not meet the agreed standard.
The decision was made abruptly the day before the ceremony, with the decision being made that they would not participate. At the time, voices of disappointment and confusion were raised among those involved in the ceremony. Meanwhile, the Korean side held its own memorial event in Sado City.
The event was attended by nine bereaved families of South Korean workers and Park Cheol-hee, the then South Korean ambassador to Japan. Park left his post in July this year, but prior to that he held a meeting with Tokyo correspondents from South Korean media outlets, where he spoke of his experiences in Japan.
Park cited the conflict surrounding the memorial ceremony as the most difficult part of his time in office. According to the news agency Yonhap News, Park recalled that the Japanese government wanted to include the word "gratitude" in the name of the memorial.
Park said, "A memorial service must be a memorial service. My belief that the format and content should be appropriate for a memorial service has not changed."
"It would have been nice if the two countries had worked together and achieved a good result, but that was not the case, so I hope that this year's (memorial ceremony) will lead to a better outcome," he said.
South Korean media reported that Japan has conveyed its intention to hold this year's memorial service on the 13th of this month. However, there are still differences in the positions of both Japan and South Korea regarding the memorial speeches, etc.
There are significant differences in the details of the memorial service, and it is possible that South Korea will not participate this year, as it did last year. According to the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, a South Korean government official told the newspaper, "We have made various decisions, including the content and format of the memorial service.
"We are proceeding with discussions while considering the overall framework of Korea-Japan relations," he said, adding, "At this point, we are leaving open the possibility of either participating or not."
A source told reporters, "We understand that due to differences of opinion, South Korea is discussing whether to hold a separate event instead of participating in the memorial service being held by Japan."
South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung, took office in June this year. The Hankyoreh reported that the South Korean government's response to this year's memorial ceremony was to "uphold South Korea's principles regarding historical issues."
"It is being seen as an important test of President Lee's two-track Korea-Japan diplomatic approach, which aims to pursue future-oriented cooperation with Japan while maintaining amicable relations."