Japan attends Sado Mine Memorial Ceremony...Conflict factors are still there.

[Anchor]
It is known that Japan will send a political officer equivalent to our vice minister level to the Sado Mine memorial ceremony, which is a forced labor site for Koreans.

Although it seems to have responded to the attendance of high-ranking government officials that the Korean government has demanded to some extent, there is still a spark of conflict over the detailed format.

Correspondent Kim Se-ho's report from Tokyo.

[Reporter]
On the 24th, the Japanese government is expected to attend the Sado mine memorial ceremony.

It's a high-ranking official equivalent to our vice ministerial level.

A South Korean government official said, "However, we are still coordinating who will come among the political officials."

The Japanese government seems to have partially accepted the Korean government's request for the attendance of vice minister-level officials or higher.

[Lee Jae-woong / Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson: Our government is sincerely consulting with the Japanese government on the importance of having a sincere memorial service for the Sado mine]

However, the expression "forced labor" is missing from the exhibition room of Korean workers in Sado Mine.

At the memorial service, the Japanese side even gave the impression that it was more meaningful to register Sado Mine as a World Heritage Site than to apologize or reflect.

[Hazumi Hideyo / Niigata Prefecture Governor: I would like to express my feelings for all those involved who have raised Sado Mine to this point as a World Heritage Site.]

In addition to attending the memorial ceremony, the bereaved families of Korean workers plan to tour the Sado Mine Exhibition Hall.
All related expenses, such as the cost of staying for the bereaved families of
, are supported by the Korean government, not Japan.

Some point out that it is appropriate for organizers to bear the cost as it is an event honoring victims of forced mobilization.

It is unclear whether Japan can contain the apology or expression of remorse that the bereaved families want at the memorial service, raising concerns that it could be another conflict.

I'm Kim Se-ho from YTN in Tokyo.