Advertisement

Diplomatic row breaks out between Japan and South Korea over a mousse

Sour taste: the small blue dot on the far right shows islands claimed by Japan: REUTERS
Sour taste: the small blue dot on the far right shows islands claimed by Japan: REUTERS

A diplomatic row has broken out between Japan and South Korea over, of all things, a mousse dessert.

South Korea plans to serve the mango mousse at a planned summit between its president, Moon Jae-in, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday.

But the Japanese government is demanding the dessert be removed from the menu as it features a map of the Korean peninsula showing disputed islands. Known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, the islands lie halfway between the countries.

It was revealed today that Japan’s government has lodged a protest about the pudding, entitled “Spring of the People” in a publicity photo. “It is extremely regrettable,” a Japanese foreign ministry spokeswoman said. “We have asked that the dessert not be served.”

The islands are in the Sea of Japan, which Seoul refers to as the East Sea.

Last month, Japan complained to South Korea about fans waving a flag with a similar design at a women’s ice hockey friendly game between a combined North-South Korean team and Sweden at the Winter Paralympics.

President Moon and Kim Jong-un are preparing to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme at the summit in Panmunjom on the South Korean side of their border.

Relations between the two Koreas and Japan have been strained by territorial disputes and resentment over Japanese colonisation of the Korean peninsula in the first half of last century.

But Mr Moon and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe have vowed to present a united front and exert pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programmes, which are in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. The summit is set to be followed by a meeting between Kim and US president Donald Trump next month or in June.