SEOUL/TOKYO — South Korea’s presidential frontrunner has softened his typically hardline stance on Japan, but concerns linger in Tokyo that warming ties could chill again under Seoul’s next leader.
Lee Jae-myung of the left-leaning Democratic Party leads in the polls ahead of South Korea’s June 3 presidential election, well ahead of conservative rival Kim Moon-soo. If Lee does come out on top, he will inherit a much-improved Japan-South Korea bilateral relationship, which blossomed under now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
