South Korea will not attend Sado mines memorial event in Japan amid lingering historical tensions

South Korea's government said Saturday it will not attend a memorial service near Japan's Sado Island Gold Mines due to disagreements with Tokyo over the event, which stirred longstanding tensions over the abuse of Korean forced laborers at the site before the end of World War II.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

The decision marked a rare display of friction between the countries since the 2022 inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon has prioritized improving relations with Japan following years of disputes over their bitter history and solidifying three-way security cooperation with Washington to counter North Korean nuclear threats, but has faced accusations at home that he was neglecting the suffering of Korean survivors.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was impossible to settle the disagreements between both governments before the planned event near the mines on Sunday.

Masashi Mizobuchi, assistant press secretary at Japan's Foreign Ministry, called the South Korean decision "disappointing." He said Japan has thoroughly communicated with the South Korean side, but declined to comment on details of the diplomatic exchanges.