The government decided not to attend the Sado mine memorial a day before... "Difficult to agree on."

[Anchor]
One day before the memorial ceremony for Japan's Sado Mine, which commemorates the victims of forced labor of Koreans in Japanese colonial era, the Korean government has decided not to participate.

As it became known that the person who decided to attend as a representative of Japan had a history of visiting Yasukuni shrine, it seems that he decided not to attend the event due to controversy. Reporter Park Heejae!

Please tell me about the presentation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[Reporter]
This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed in a written notice of the press corps this afternoon.

The Korean government has decided not to attend the Sado Mine memorial ceremony scheduled for tomorrow (24th) in Sado Island, Japan.

There have been disagreements between the two countries over the memorial service, because there is not enough time to adjust.

He also added that the two sides judged it difficult to reach an acceptable agreement.

Let me explain the background of the disagreement.

This "Sado Mine Memorial Ceremony" is an event that Japan agreed with us when Sado Mine was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July.

Through discussions between the two countries, both countries decided to have vice minister-level officials attend, but yesterday (22nd) the announcement of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs became controversial.

This is because of the history of Akiko Ikuina, a deputy minister-level official who was supposed to be sent from the Japanese side, who visited Yasukuni shrine in the past.

Ikuina has a history of visiting Yasukuni shrine on the day of Japan's defeat on August 15, 2022,
It was pointed out that it was inappropriate for a person who visited ∀, where Class A war criminals from the
Pacific War, to come to a memorial event for Korean workers who suffered from forced labor by the Japanese colonial rule.

On top of that, Ikuina, a political officer, has reportedly shown a position that South Korea should make concessions in the past regarding conflicts between South Korea and Japan over Japanese Military Sexual Slavery and forced labor.

Due to the controversy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is believed to have turned its position to a surprise absence a day before the memorial service.

However, it was found that the bereaved families of the victims of forced mobilization have already arrived in Japan with government officials.

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol, who appeared on a broadcast shortly after the announcement, said the bereaved families and government agencies will hold separate memorial ceremonies and inspect related facilities and museums.

So far, I'm YTN Park Heejae in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.