South Korea's state dinner welcoming Trump angers Japan

The menu and guests at South Korea's state dinner for President Donald Trump have sparked a dispute with Japan.

Menu at the state banquet held by South Korea on the evening of November 7 to welcome US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP.

South Korea hosted a state dinner for the US president on the evening of November 7 at the Blue House, when he arrived in Seoul on a tour of Asia. The menu and guest list for the state dinner later caused a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Seoul, the Guardian reported today.

The menu at the banquet hosted by President Moon Jae-In, in addition to grilled flounder, beef ribs, and sauce made from 360-year-old soy sauce, also included shrimp. This seafood is caught near the Dokdo/Takeshima island group, an area of ​​sovereignty dispute between South Korea and Japan and currently controlled by Seoul.

Also among the guests at the state dinner was Lee Yong-soo, 88, who was forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. At the event, Mr. Trump hugged Ms. Lee after she was introduced.

President Trump speaks at a state banquet in South Korea. Photo: AFP.

In response to South Korea's state dinner, conservative media in Japan called the event "anti-Japanese".

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said such diplomatically sensitive moves were not a wise choice at a time when Japan, the United States and South Korea are trying to pressure North Korea to abandon its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

South Korea said Japan's response was inappropriate.

According to VNE