The foreign ministry says South Korea’s decision not to attend a memorial event for victims of wartime forced labor at Japan’s Sado mines was meant as a protest and an expression of deep regret over Tokyo’s plans for the event. 

Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun conveyed the information to reporters on Tuesday, saying Japan’s event failed to meet the terms of the agreement it initially reached with South Korea. 

Kang said the South Korean government chose to skip the event and hold its own memorial as a way of expressing Seoul’s firm resolve not to compromise with Tokyo on historical issues. 

She said a ministry official had, in advance, relayed the government’s position to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

She added that the South Korean government exerted its best efforts to ensure the event was held in a manner consistent with Japan’s promise to sincerely remember all the laborers at the mines, including the Korean workers. 

The vice minister’s remarks come after the government faced criticism of engaging in humiliating diplomacy after it did not express regrets over the memorial service, while Japan repeatedly said it regretted South Korea’s absence.