Japan will hold a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines, which were listed this summer as a UNESCO World Heritage site after the country moved past years of disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the dark side of their history.

SADO, Japan (AP) — Japanese officials on Sunday paid tribute to workers at the country's Sado Island Gold Mines but offered no apology over Japan’s brutal wartime use of Korean forced laborers, highlighting lingering tensions between the neighbors over the issue.

TOKYO/SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government held its own ceremony in Japan on Monday to honor Korean forced labor victims from an old Japanese mine complex, after boycotting a Japan-hosted event over Tokyo's apparent insincerity in delivering on its pledge to remember the victims.

South Korea’s government says it has decided not to attend a memorial service near Japan’s Sado Island Gold Mines due to unspecified disagreements with Japan over the event, which stirred longstanding tensions over the abuse of Korean forced laborers at the site before the end of World War II.

A memorial ceremony honouring forced labour victims, including Koreans, at an old Japanese mine complex kicked off on Sunday as planned, with South Korea boycotting it over Tokyo's pick to send a senior official with hard-line views on history to the event.

SEOUL (Reuters) -- South Korea held a memorial event in Japan on Monday for its laborers forced to work at a controversial mine during World War II, after boycotting one organized by Tokyo, highlighting lingering sensitivities in ties between the neighbors.

TOKYO/SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government held its own ceremony in Japan on Monday to honor Korean forced labor victims from an old Japanese mine complex, after boycotting a Japan-hosted event over Tokyo's apparent insincerity in delivering on its pledge to remember the victims.

South Korea has paid tribute to wartime Korean forced laborers at Japan’s Sado gold mines in a memorial ceremony.

Efforts by South Korea and Japan to hold a joint memorial service near Japa’s Sado Island Gold Mines, where Koreans were forced to work during Japan’s colonial rule, fell apart on Nov. 24 due to disagreements between both governments.

The Korean government held its own ceremony on Monday to honor Korean wartime forced laborers at their former lodgings near Japan’s Sado Mine, following Seoul’s decision to boycott a Japan-hosted memorial held on Sunday.