Ties between Tokyo and Seoul plunged into a deep freeze under the previous liberal president Moon Jae-in, only to thaw rapidly under Mr Lee’s ousted predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who is now facing insurrection charges for his martial law debacle.

(Reuters) -South Korea has elected liberal Lee Jae-myung as president to lead the country through a tumultuous period that will require negotiating trade tariffs with the U.S. and mending the scars from his ousted predecessor's shock martial law declaration.

The debilitating political vacuum that has reigned in Seoul since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment on December 14 has finally ended. On June 3, Lee Jae-myung won South Korea’s presidential election by a decisive margin.