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Japan clashes with South Korea over shrimp snub at Trump dinner

Tokyo protests after US president served seafood from disputed Dokdo islands

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https://www.ft.com/content/3edd2d5e-c504-11e7-a1d2-6786f39ef675

When Donald Trump visited Japan and South Korea this week, he hailed the strength of the US’s Asian alliances in tackling the threat from North Korea.

But no sooner had the American president left than the two longstanding US allies were again squabbling, this time over an unlikely fare: shrimp.

Less than a day after Mr Trump left the South Korean capital for Beijing, Japanese diplomats lodged a protest with their South Korean counterparts over the decision to serve the US leader “Dokdo shrimp” — crustaceans from waters around islets disputed by the two Asian nations.

The envoys also fumed at Seoul’s decision to allow a former sex slave during Japan’s wartime occupation of Korea to attend the state dinner between Mr Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

The diplomatic spat underscores the geopolitical and historical complexities of the region, which Mr Trump is attempting to unite against Pyongyang and its nuclear provocations.

It also comes amid tentative signs of a broader regional reconfiguration, as Seoul resets its relationship with Beijing after both capitals last week drew a line under a year-long political feud.

“We didn’t even know that kind of shrimp existed,” said one Japanese diplomat, adding that South Korea was deliberately needling Japan with its well-publicised decision to serve the US leader with food from disputed islets.

“It is a time of continuing North Korean provocations. The US, South Korea and Japan should be co-operating to deter North Korea,” he added.

Japan also objected to the presence at the state dinner of 88-year-old Lee Yong-soo, who was forced to work in a wartime brothel during Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea.

In 2015, the two nations signed a deal to “finally” and “irreversibly” resolve the so-called “comfort women” issue, with Japan paying about $9m to a foundation in support of the victims.

Japanese diplomats said the decision to invite Ms Lee was contrary to the terms of the agreement.

In response to the official Japanese protest, as well as press inquiries about the decision to serve Dokdo shrimp, a South Korean foreign affairs ministry spokesman said: “We have decided the menu of a state dinner and invited guests considering various elements overall, so it is inappropriate to raise questions about this kind of matter.”

The South Korean-controlled Dokdo islands are known as Takeshima in Japan. Seoul and Tokyo share a common interest in denuclearising Pyongyang, but their relationship is often undercut by simmering historical and geopolitical disputes.

The US is likely to pay close attention to the latest spat amid signs that South Korea may be once again softening its approach towards China.

Last week the two nations agreed to end a year-long feud over Seoul’s decision to host a US-owned and operated missile shield, which Beijing says could be used to spy on its military developments.

The detente came soon after Kang Kyung-wha, South Korea’s foreign minister, announced that trilateral security co-operation between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo would not turn into a formal alliance — a prospect that had unnerved Beijing.

Additional reporting by Kang Buseong

https://www.ft.com/content/3edd2d5e-c504-11e7-a1d2-6786f39ef675

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