South Korean presidential front-runner gets reprieve

The first hearing in the retrial of the South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung for allegedly violating election laws has been moved to June 18, after the presidential election, a court said on Wednesday.

The Seoul High Court said the decision to postpone the hearing, due for May 15, was made to ensure a fair opportunity for Lee to campaign and to eliminate concerns about the trial's fairness, Yonhap News Agency said.

Lee, the former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, had been acquitted over alleged election law violations, but it was overturned by the country's Supreme Court on May 1, sending the case back to the Seoul High Court.

Before the Seoul High Court acquitted Lee in March, the Seoul Central District Court had sentenced him in November to one year in jail, suspended for two years, on charges of spreading false information during the 2022 presidential election.

If the sentence is ratified Lee would be disqualified from taking part in the election on June 3.

The Seoul High Court said it has maintained and will continue to maintain its attitude of judging fairly and independently in accordance with the constitution and law without any internal or external influence or interference.

Speaking after the court's announcement on Wednesday, Lee said it was an appropriate one that aligned with the constitution.

"It is an important time for the people to exercise their sovereign rights in practice," he said, stressing the importance of ensuring that there is no interference with people's right to vote.

Lee, who faces several criminal trials, also filed a request to reschedule hearings of his other cases. The hearings of a case involving allegations of bribery were postponed by the Seoul Central District Court from May 13 and 27 to June 24.

A parliamentary subcommittee led by the Democratic Party also passed a bill on Wednesday that suspends criminal proceedings for a president-elect.

The ruling People Power Party, or PPP, opposed the bill, saying it is little more than a "criminal exemption act".

"The idea of suspending criminal trials as long as one runs for president and is elected is beyond common sense," said a PPP spokesman, Shin Dong-wook. "The presidency exists to serve the people, not as a shield for hiding and evading crimes."

Proposal opposed

The Ministry of Justice also said it opposes the proposed change.

Lee remains the front-runner in next month's presidential election, despite the Supreme Court's ruling last week.

In a poll conducted on May 3-4 by Gallup Korea, Lee Jae-myung received 49 percent support, against 33 percent for the PPP's Kim Moon-soo and 9 percent for the minor Reform Party's Lee Junseok in a three-way race.

In a scenario in which the former prime minister Han Ducksoo, an independent candidate, replaced Kim, Lee Jae-myung attracted 49 percent support, and Han and Lee Jun-seok attracted 36 percent and 6 percent respectively.

Han and Kim met on Wednesday to discuss a potential campaign merger but a spokesperson for Han told reporters after the meeting that no agreement was reached.

Han said he will not register as a presidential candidate if an alliance is not achieved by May 11, the deadline for candidate registration with the National Election Commission, while Kim has been protesting the PPP's call for a united campaign.