The first hearing of liberal Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung's retrial for alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act is scheduled for May 15.

Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea has emerged as the clear front-runner in the latest poll on preferred presidential candidates, with 42% of respondents saying he is best suited for the role.

South Korea ’s Supreme Court overturned on Thursday an earlier ruling that had cleared election front runner Lee Jae-myung of election law violation, throwing into doubt his eligibility to run for the presidency.