South Korean court again delays hearing on presidential frontrunner’s case until after election

The ruling followed two similar moves by the judiciary last week.

The Seoul High Court said the first hearing in Lee's subornation of perjury trial, slated for May 20, has been changed to a later date as the defendant registered as a presidential candidate last weekend.

Previously, the appellate court planned to hold the final hearing on June 3, which coincides with the day of the presidential election.

In November last year, Lee was acquitted of charges of suborning a secretary to former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony during a 2019 trial on his alleged election law violations.

The prosecution then appealed his acquittal.

On May 7, the Seoul High Court postponed the first hearing of Lee's retrial on election law violation charges until after the June 3 presidential election.

On the same day, the Seoul Central District Court also suspended ongoing hearings in Lee's high-profile corruption trial related to development projects in Seongnam until late June.

Lee, the candidate of the Democratic Party (DP), which controls parliament, has been leading in polls to win the presidential election.

The DP has demanded that all judicial trials involving Lee be postponed until after the presidential election.