The Seoul High Court on Tuesday granted a request from Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung to delay the first hearing of his retrial on election law violations, rescheduling it from May 15 to June 18 — 15 days after the June 3 snap presidential election. The court stated that the decision was necessary to “ensure fairness,” noting that proceeding before the vote could compromise Lee’s constitutional right to campaign on equal footing with his rivals.

The delay follows the Supreme Court’s ruling last week overturning Lee’s acquittaland remanding the case with instructions consistent with a guilty verdict.