South Korea has expressed regret over Japan’s attitude during bilateral consultations ahead of a memorial event for Japanese and Korean victims of wartime forced labor at Japan’s newly UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sado mines. 

In a notice to local reporters on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said a ministry official has delivered the position to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

The official requested close communication between the two sides to handle the issue separately from other bilateral issues and to prevent it from sparking unnecessary discord.

On Monday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed regret over South Korea’s decision not to attend the memorial event the previous day, in a move that can be seen as an attempt to put the blame on Seoul.

During UNESCO’s review of the World Heritage listing in July, Tokyo promised to hold an annual memorial ceremony for the Korean and Japanese laborers at the Sado mines.

Seoul gave its consent on the condition that Tokyo take steps to inform international visitors about the full history of the site, including the annual memorial and an exhibit describing the harsh working conditions Koreans endured there.

South Korea reportedly boycotted the Sunday ceremony after Japan decided to send a foreign ministry official with a reputation as a hard-liner on history, who delivered a speech at the event that notably omitted any reference to forced labor.