Court again postpones Lee’s election law violation retrial

The Seoul High Court said Monday it has again postponed President Lee Jae-myung’s retrial on election law violation charges.

The court said the first hearing scheduled for June 18 was postponed to an undetermined future date in accordance with Article 84 of the Constitution, which exempts a sitting president from criminal prosecution except in the case of insurrection or treason.

Lee was elected president on June 3 after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office over his botched imposition of martial law in December.

The Seoul High Court previously postponed the first hearing from May 15 citing the need to guarantee a “fair electioneering opportunity” to then presidential candidate Lee.

The retrial comes after the Supreme Court remanded the case in May, overturning the Seoul High Court’s decision to acquit Lee of a suspended prison term in connection with alleged false statements he made ahead of the previous presidential election in 2022.

Lee is standing four additional trials on charges of corruption related to a development project undertaken during his time as Seongnam mayor, embezzlement of provincial funds during his time as Gyeonggi governor, an illegal remittance of funds to North Korea and subornation of perjury.

The question of whether the trials should continue during a Lee presidency was a subject of debate during the presidential campaign, as the immunity from prosecution was interpreted by some as referring only to new indictments.

The Seoul High Court’s latest decision could set the tone for the other four trials’ proceedings.