Bereaved families of Korean victims forcibly mobilized to work in the Sado mines visit the site's tunnels, following a memorial service at the former dormitory site for Korean workers in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Monday. Yonhap

A memorial service for Korean laborers forcibly mobilized to the Sado mines, which Japan had promised to hold annually following the site's inscription as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage last summer, has become an embarrassment for the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, according to politicians and diplomatic observers, Monday.

The controversy arose when Akiko Ikuina, a parliamentary vice minister at Japan's foreign ministry, was chosen to represent the Japanese government at the first memorial service. Due to her alleged past record of visiting to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war criminals are enshrined among others, the Korean government requested a change in Japan's representative. But Japan declined the request.

Furthermore, despite another request from Korea for the Japanese representative to include expressions of mourning and reflection in her eulogy recited at the event, Japan reportedly failed to provide a clear response, prompting Korea to hold a separate memorial service. The Korean government concluded that such a memorial service planned by Japan did not align with the original purpose of honoring Korean laborers.

At the memorial, which took place without Korea's participation on Sunday, Ikuina delivered a eulogy recognizing the "dangerous and harsh conditions" that Korean laborers endured, but avoided acknowledging coercion or offering any apology from Japan.

This omission has deepened Korea's sense of betrayal toward Japan, which had promised to honor the victims at the annual memorial service under an agreement made during the Sado mines' UNESCO inscription in July.

Triple blows

While Japan is the primary target of criticism, growing discontent is directed at the Korean government for what many are calling a "diplomatic debacle." Critics argue that Korea offered concessions to Japan for the Sado mines' UNESCO listing while receiving nothing in return.

Rather than acknowledging Korea's cooperation in the UNESCO listing process, Japan delivered what many in Korea perceive as a "triple blow" — excluding references to the forced labor of Korean workers in exhibition materials, attempting to downplay coercion in the memorial's title, and sending a representative with an alleged history of visiting the Yasukuni Shrine to the annual memorial service that had been agreed upon by both countries.

The Korean government is facing criticism for relying too heavily on Japan's goodwill, inadvertently allowing Tokyo to distort the narrative surrounding the mine's UNESCO listing.

Guests offer a moment of silence during a memorial ceremony for the laborers who worked in the Sado mines in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Sunday, as seats reserved for Korean guests remain empty. The Korean officials announced the previous day their intention to skip the event, citing unresolved disagreements with Japan over the ceremony's arrangements. Yonhap

On Sunday, Korea's foreign ministry said the decision to hold a separate memorial ceremony underscores the government's unwavering stance on historical issues with Japan.

"Guided by this principle, the government will continue to work toward improving bilateral relations in a manner that benefits both Korea and Japan," the ministry said.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) supported the foreign ministry's stance, saying the government will prioritize national interests in all diplomatic matters, including Korea-Japan relations, while maintaining a principled approach to diplomacy.

"It is unfortunate that the Korean government's demands were not acknowledged when this is a sensitive issue for both Korea and Japan. We need to reflect humbly and reassess whether this outcome was the result of complacency on the part of our diplomatic authorities," Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the ruling party, said at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday.

"Japan's sincere acknowledgment of the Korean victims of the Sado mines, along with a clear apology and reflection on past colonial rule, is the fundamental prerequisite for a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship," Choo stressed, adding that the favorable atmosphere between Korea and Japan that has been nurtured under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration should not be shaken.

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), denounced the controversy surrounding the memorial service, calling it "the worst diplomatic disaster."

"Due to the government's disastrous diplomacy, the Sado mines' memorial service has been reduced from honoring the souls of forced labor victims to a celebration of Japan's UNESCO inscription of the site," Lee rebuked on Monday.

"The forced mobilization of over 1,500 Koreans has been erased from history, and it will be remembered as the worst diplomatic failure, where the Korean government itself justified Japan's colonial rule. This submissive and conciliatory diplomacy by the Yoon administration has led to the disaster of the Sado mines' memorial service," Lee added, emphasizing that a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship will be difficult if Tokyo persists in distorting history Seoul continues its humiliating approach to diplomacy.

The two countries will mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations next year.

Bereaved families of Korean victims forcibly mobilized to the Sado mines observe a moment of silence at a memorial service for the victims, held at the site of the former Korean laborers' dormitory near Sado Mines in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Monday. Yonhap

The Korean government, which did not attend the Japan-led memorial service the previous day, held its own ceremony near the site of the former Korean laborers' dormitories in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Monday.

Following a moment of silence and the offering of flowers, Korea's Ambassador to Japan, Park Cheol-hee, delivered a eulogy for the Korean laborers who had been forcibly mobilized, honoring the spirits of the deceased workers.

"First, I bow deeply to express my heartfelt condolences to the souls of the Korean laborers who were forcibly mobilized to work in the Sado mines over 80 years ago and died after enduring harsh labor. I pray for their peaceful rest," the ambassador said.

"The sorrow of the Korean workers who died far from their homeland, never to embrace their loved ones again, and the pain of those who survived but lived on suffering from the aftermath, including silicosis, will never be fully alleviated by words alone. We will never forget the tears and sacrifices that lie behind the history of the Sado mines," Korea's top envoy to Japan added.

Sado mines, famous for its gold production during the Edo period (1603–1867), became a crucial site for securing war materials like copper as the Pacific War intensified. During World War II, an estimated 1,500 Koreans were forcibly mobilized to work in harsh conditions at the mines. Korea was under Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

When UNESCO decided to inscribe Sado as a World Heritage site in July, the Korean government had initially opposed the inscription. However, after final negotiations with Japan, an agreement was reached in which Tokyo promised to reflect the full history of the mines and include exhibits related to the forced labor of Koreans. This agreement paved the way for the inscription to be achieved through mutual understanding.

Since World Heritage inscriptions require unanimous approval from all 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee, the support of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration played a crucial role in Japan securing the world heritage inscription.