Seoul High Court Postpones First Retrial Hearing for Lee Jae Myung to June 18, After Presidential Election

The retrial of Lee Jae Myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act has been postponed to June 18, after the presidential election. The court accepted the request to change the trial date, which was submitted by Lee's legal team on the morning of May 7.

Lee Jae Myung, Democratic Party presidential candidate. Photo by Kang Jin Hyung

The 7th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jae Kwon) announced on May 7, "We have changed the trial date to after the presidential election in order to ensure the defendant, who is a presidential candidate, has an equal opportunity to campaign and to eliminate any controversy regarding the fairness of the trial."

The court stated, "We have always maintained, and will continue to maintain, our commitment to conducting trials independently and fairly, solely in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without any external or internal influence or interference."

Previously, the retrial panel was assigned the case on May 2 and had initially scheduled the first hearing for 2:00 p.m. on May 15. On the morning of May 7, Lee's defense team submitted a request to the 7th Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court, which is handling the case, to change the trial date.