The foreign ministry said Monday that South Korea skipped Japan’s recent event to commemorate Japanese and Korean forced labor victims because Japan’s memorial speech fell short of what the two nations agreed on before the Sado mines were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

The ministry declared its position in a message to reporters after a statement from Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, who said Monday that South Korea’s absence from the event was “regrettable.” 

The ministry added that South Korea is determined not to compromise with Japan on historical issues and its decision to hold a separate ceremony reflects that.

The Seoul government, however, did not express regret over the issue. 

South Korea held a memorial on Monday to honor Koreans subjected to forced labor under Japanese colonial rule at the Sado mines, the newly listed UNESCO World Heritage site in Japan. 

Seoul stayed away from Japan’s ceremony the previous day amid reports that Tokyo’s representative had visited a controversial war shrine.