President Yoon Suk Yeol has greenlit a request by the prosecution seeking the pretrial detention of main opposition Democratic Party(DP) leader Lee Jae-myung over alleged corruption and third-party bribery.

According to a presidential official on Tuesday, the approval came during Yoon's visit to New York to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly.

The justice ministry has since requested consent from the National Assembly, which legally requires the parliamentary speaker to report it during the next plenary session, with a vote to be held within 24 to 72 hours of its tabling.

The consent request is expected to be reported to Wednesday's plenary session and put to a vote the following day as the prosecution seeks to detain the DP chief over his suspected role in the Baekhyeon-dong development scandal and illegal remittances to North Korea.

The president also appointed Kim Dong-cheol, a former four-term lawmaker, as the head of the debt-ridden Korea Electric Power Corporation for a three-year term.

A presidential official said Yoon is expected to approve the appointment of Bang Moon-kyu as the new minister of trade, industry and energy on Wednesday, Korea time.