NEW DELHI, May 24 -- Speculation is rife in a section of the international public spectrum that the recent ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol from the presidency of South Korea might come to sour ties between Seoul and Tokyo. It is being surmised that in the presidential poll, now scheduled to be held early next month (June 3) in South Korea, the Democratic Party's Lee Jaemyung is likely to emerge as successor to Yoon in the Blue House. Lee has long been known for his hardline views on Japan. Unlike Yoon, Lee may not bury South Korea's historical grievances, including the issue of compensation for former civilian workers from the Korean Peninsula during Japanese colonial rule, with Japan.

In 2023, Lee had staged a 24-day hunger strike opposing then...