Tokyo: Japan has reportedly proposed holding a memorial ceremony for wartime forced labor victims, including Koreans, related to an old Japanese mine complex during World War II this month, diplomatic sources said Monday. It remains to be seen whether South Korea will attend the event as Seoul may review boycotting it over Japan's lack of sincerity in honoring such Korean victims.

According to Yonhap News Agency, holding such a memorial ceremony for the victims from the Sado mine complex was part of Japan's pledge when the mines were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site last year. Japan committed to holding the event annually. This year, a memorial committee comprising civilian groups has conveyed its intention to hold the ceremony on Sept. 13 to South Korea's foreign ministry through Japan's foreign ministry, according to the diplomatic sources.

"Due to a difference in their opinions, South Korea is reviewing whether to skip the ceremony organized by the Japanese side and hold a separate event," a source said, raising views that South Korea could boycott the event for a second straight year. "Japan will make an announcement regarding the schedule of the memorial," a foreign ministry official said, without elaborating.

Last year's inaugural memorial event, held on Nov. 24, ended in a dispute between the two countries, as Seoul boycotted the ceremony in Japan, citing Tokyo's lack of sincerity in honoring the victims. South Korea separately held its own memorial event near the Sado site the following day. The two countries have held discussions on the ceremony but apparently failed to narrow their differences on key issues, such as forced labor.

Many Koreans were forced to toil at the Sado gold and silver mines off Japan's west coast during World War II.