New Delhi, June 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his best wishes to newly-elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung for winning the top post and expressed his eagerness to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations.

Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung was elected President on Wednesday after months of turmoil surrounding the impeachment and ouster of his former opponent over a botched attempt to impose martial law.

Taking to X, PM Modi posted, "Congratulations to Mr Lee Jae-Myung on being elected as the President of the Republic of Korea. Look forward to working together to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership."

Lee's win was a remarkable comeback after having lost to former President Yoon Suk Yeol by a razor-thin margin of less than one percentage point in the previous election in 2022.

While Yoon's attempt to impose martial law in December paved the way for Lee's rise to the presidency, it also deepened the nation's political divide and increased the challenges posed by everything from the United States' tariff policies to North Korea's advancing nuclear weapons programme.

With all votes counted, Lee of the liberal DP won 49.42 per cent of the votes, compared with 41.15 per cent for his conservative People Power Party (PPP) rival Kim Moon-soo.

Meanwhile, the bilateral relations between India and South Korea were elevated to 'Special Strategic Partnership' in 2015, when PM Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to South Korea.

Additionally, on the occasion of the State Visit of then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in to India in July 2018, both countries issued a statement outlining a 'Vision for People, Prosperity, Peace and our Future'.

Later, in 2019, PM Modi visited South Korea and unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at Yonsei University. During this, he also gifted a Bodhi sapling to Gimhae City and received the Seoul Peace Prize for his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth.

--IANS

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