South Korea will hold its own memorial service on Nov. 21 to honor Korean victims of wartime forced labor at Japan’s Sado gold mine, marking the second consecutive year it has declined participation in Tokyo’s official ceremony. Seoul’s decision reflects continued frustration over Japan’s reluctance to acknowledge the coercive nature of World War II-era Korean labor mobilization despite earlier commitments linked to the mine’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024. 

At a separate Japanese government-organized memorial in September, officials referenced Korean workers but omitted mention of forced mobilization or discrimination, while downgrading the event’s representation