A court has postponed a pretrial hearing in the collusion trial of former first lady Kim Keon-hee and figures tied to the Unification Church, who are accused of conspiring to meddle in the People Power Party's 2023 leadership election.

The Seoul Central District Court said it had decided to postpone the preparatory hearing, scheduled for Tuesday morning, due to a delay in the defense's review and copying of the records. 

The special counsel team probing various allegations surrounding the former first lady filed additional charges against Kim, alleging that the Unification Church had its members join the PPP en masse ahead of the party convention in March 2023 to help elect a specific candidate as party leader. 

The team suspects that Kim requested in November 2022, via shaman Jeon Seong-bae, that church members join the PPP to vote for a pro-Yoon Suk Yeol candidate.

Prosecutors believe that, in return for the collective party enrollment, Kim promised the church government-level support and proportional representation seats for its members in the general election.

Han and Jeon were indicted and charged with colluding and forcing members to join the PPP at Kim's request in November.