South Korea holds memorial for forced laborers in Japan

Relatives of Korean victims and South Korean officials offer a prayer during a memorial service in Sado, a day after boycotting a memorial organized by Japanese officials. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

South Korea commemorated wartime Korean forced labourers at Japan’s Sado gold mines in a ceremony Monday, a day after boycotting a similar event organised by Japan, as tensions over historical atrocities continue to strain relations between the two sides.

Monday’s ceremony at a former dormitory near the mines on Sado Island, which dates to the 16th century and was listed this year as a Unesco World Heritage site, was organised by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and attended by nine family members of Korean wartime labourers, the country’s ambassador to Japan and other officials.