A ceremony was held for the first time on Sunday to remember all those who worked at the now-defunct gold mines on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, including those from the Korean Peninsula.
The event came after the Sado Island Gold Mines were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site earlier this year. On Sunday, it started in the Niigata city of Sado at 1 p.m., and about 70 participants, including Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi, mourned for the deceased mine workers and offered floral tributes.
At the ceremony, the Japanese government was represented by Akiko Ikuina, parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, while the South Korean side did not send government officials or relatives of former Korean workers at the mines.
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