South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister: ”Decision not to attend memorial ceremony is a 'strong protest' against Japan”

On the 26th, Kang In-seon, second vice minister of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "Our decision not to attend the (Sado Gold Mine) memorial ceremony hosted by Japan is in accordance with the initial agreement between South Korea and Japan.
"Our government strongly protested against Japan's hosting of a memorial service that did not meet our standards and expressed our 'strong regret' in that regard."
This was an explanation in response to criticism that the South Korean government had not expressed any regret to the Japanese side, and was made by a senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official regarding the Sado Gold Mine memorial ceremony.
This was the first official statement by a senior official. Vice Minister Kang told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on the same day, "The Sado Gold Mine was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the World Heritage Committee in July this year, and the Japanese representative attended.
One of the promises I made was to 'Sincerely mourn all the workers at the Sado Gold Mine, including the Korean workers, and to hold a memorial service for all the workers at the Sado Gold Mine every year.'"
He continued, "Despite the close communication between the Korean and Japanese governments, the final memorial ceremony plan that the Japanese side presented to our side was based on the agreement between Korea and Japan at the time of the registration of the Sado Gold Mine.
"During the negotiations on the memorial ceremony between South Korea and Japan, our government received a message from the Japanese representative saying, 'We sincerely mourn all the workers, including the Korean workers.'" Kang said.
"We made every effort to ensure that the memorial service was held in a manner consistent with the promises we made," he said. "The memorial service held independently by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide a meaningful opportunity for the bereaved families to remember and mourn their loved ones."
I feel blessed to have the time I have."