TOKYO (Bloomberg): Japan is going the extra mile to welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to Tokyo with one of his favourite dishes - "omurice,” or fried rice topped with an omelette, according to local media.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to take Yoon to famed restaurant Rengatei on Thursday (March 16) after the leaders of the neighbouring nations hold a summit, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing several unidentified government officials.
Yoon is set to become the first South Korean president to visit Japan since 2019, when bilateral ties nosedived over a dispute regarding forced labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and Tokyo imposing export curbs on chemicals used to make smartphone displays, TV screens and semiconductors.
The countries last week signalled they were ready to mend ties, with Seoul announcing plans for South Korean companies, rather than Japanese ones, to fund a foundation to pay forced labour victims.
An avid cook, Yoon himself made the request for omurice, according to the Yomiuri. The dish is popular in both Japan and South Korea and is often made at home.
The DongA Ilbo newspaper said Yoon mentioned a restaurant in Tokyo with "good memories” to a Japanese official before taking office, and that Rengatei, founded in 1895 during the Meiji period, appears to have been chosen based on that comment.
The leaders will stop by Rengatei after dining at another nearby eatery, which will be selected based on security considerations, the Yomiuri said. Only a small group of aides will accompany them, according to the report.
