Seoul: The Seoul High Court on Monday postponed its hearing on Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's subornation of perjury case due to the upcoming presidential election, following two similar moves by the judiciary last week.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the appellate court announced that the first hearing in Lee's subornation of perjury trial, originally slated for May 20, has been rescheduled to a later date. This decision was made after Lee registered as a presidential candidate last weekend. The court had initially planned to hold the final hearing on June 3, which coincides with the presidential election day.

In a previous case in November last year, Lee was acquitted of charges related to suborning a secretary to former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony during a 2019 trial concerning his alleged election law violations. However, the prosecution appealed the ruling, prompting further legal proceedings.

On May 7, the Seoul High Court postponed the first hearing of Lee's retrial on election law violation charges until after the June 3 presidential election. This decision was made to ensure that Lee's right to a fair trial is upheld amid the election period.

Additionally, the Seoul Central District Court announced on the same day that it would suspend ongoing hearings in Lee's high-profile corruption trial, which is related to development projects in Seongnam, until late June.

In response to these developments, the Democratic Party has called for all court trials involving Lee to be postponed until after the presidential election.