Anchor: A Seoul appellate court on Wednesday postponed Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's remanded trial over alleged election law violation until after the June 3 election, mitigating the legal risk Lee may face during his campaign. The DP, for its part, pushed to pass a bill that would suspend criminal trials against a newly-elected president until the end of the term.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The Seoul High Court postponed the first hearing in the remanded trial for Democratic Party(DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating the election law until after the June 3 election.

The court announced on Wednesday that it was pushing back the date, initially set for May 15, to June 18.

While reducing the legal risks Lee might face leading up to the poll, the court also said the decision is to guarantee a fair electioneering opportunity to the defendant, and eliminate controversies about the fairness of the trial.

The postponement comes after Lee's legal counsel submitted a related request to the court earlier in the day.

Lee welcomed the court's decision, saying that it is "very important not to interfere with the people’s right to vote."

Also on Wednesday, hearings in another one of Lee's ongoing trials regarding alleged corruption surrounding the Seongnam development project and third-party bribery over the municipal football club were postponed from May 13 and 27 to June 24 upon Lee's request.

Over at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the DP unilaterally passed a revision bill aimed at suspending criminal trials of the newly-elected president until the end of their term in office amid a boycott by the conservative People Power Party(PPP).

Prior to the bill's passage, the justice ministry expressed opposition, raising concern over the nation's presidency degenerating into a refuge for crimes, while the PPP urged the DP to withdraw the bill, saying it was designed to exonerate Lee.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.