'Dessert' storm at Korea summit? Japan objects over 'distasteful' mango mousse

Japan on Wednesday lodged a formal protest about the mango mousse dessert, which will be served to South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un when the two leaders meet at the upcoming inter-Korean summit.

The dessert will feature a map of the Korean Peninsula that includes a disputed island claimed by Tokyo.

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Kenji Kanasugi, the director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, had told the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo that the inclusion of Takeshima, or Dokdo island in Korean, was "very regrettable", "distasteful" and "not acceptable", CNN reported.

The special chairs to be used by the two Korean leaders at the Peace House in the border village of Panmunjom, also features an emblem of the controversial island, along with the peninsula.

Also, Tokyo has said that Seoul is "illegally occupying the rocky island" lying east of the Korean Peninsula, has long soured relations between the two countries, the report said.

Japan had occupied the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 until it was defeated in World War II.

Other than the controversial dessert dish, the menu for the leaders of two Koreas includes - cold noodles, dumplings, barbecued beef, sweets and a Swiss potato dish, which is said to be the favourite dish of Kim.

The inter-Korean summit is slated to be held on April 27, where Moon and Kim are expected to discuss on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula as well as a peace plan, in an effort to improve the bilateral relations between the two countries.

There has been a pressing need for the denuclearisation of North Korea by Japan, the United States, China and South Korea. On the same lines, a proposed summit is expected to take place between US President Donald Trump and Kim either in May or June.