South Korea holds its own memorial to honour Sado mine victims after boycotting Japan's event

The South Korean government held its own ceremony in Japan to honour Korean forced labour victims from an old Japanese mine complex, after boycotting a Japan-hosted event over Tokyo's apparent insincerity in delivering on its pledge to remember the victims.

Foreign ministry officials from Seoul and nine family members and relatives of the victims gathered at a site that used to be a lodging for Korean forced labourers, near the Sado gold and silver mines, on Sado Island, off Japan's west coast, Yonhap news agency reported quoting the officials.

South Korean Ambassador to Japan Park Cheol-hee attended the event.

Monday's ceremony came a day after South Korea boycotted a memorial organised by the regional Japanese government for Sado mine forced labourers, including Koreans, citing "disagreements" that could not be resolved between the two governments in time for the event.

"I bow my head and express my deepest condolences to the souls of the Korean workers who were forcibly mobilised to the Sado mine 80 years ago," Park said in a memorial address.