Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that he wanted to "expand and strengthen" ties with South Korea, sending congratulations as centre-left President Lee Jae-myung took office.
Lee takes the helm of a nation deeply divided after his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol's disastrous attempt to declare martial law in December.
"Look forward to working together to further expand and strengthen the India-ROK (Republic of Korea) Special Strategic Partnership," Modi said in a post on X.
South Korea is still reeling from the turmoil sparked by impeached ex-leader Yoon's martial law declaration and the rise of the far right in its aftermath -- a development experts say has deeply shaken the country's collective sense of democracy.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)