A presidential race hijacked by legal risks and unification talks

With just four weeks until the June 3 presidential election and candidate registration set for this weekend, the “judicial risk” surrounding Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, along with unification talks between People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo and former Acting President Han Duck-soo, have overshadowed all other election-related issues. Despite this being an early election triggered by unconstitutional martial law and the impeachment of a sitting president, there has been little discussion on how to restore the country or chart a path forward. Instead, attention remains fixed on the front-runner’s trial and the talks to unify the party-nominated candidate with the non-party candidate.

The Democratic Party, meanwhile, is escalating its showdown with the judiciary after the Supreme Court overturned Lee’s acquittal on charges of violating election law. The party’s campaign committee has demanded that all five of Lee’s pending trials — including a retrial slated to begin after official campaigning starts on May 12 — be postponed until after the presidential election. The party has warned that unless the Supreme Court pledges to delay proceedings by May 11, it will seek the impeachment of the chief justice and other top judges. The party has kept up its offensive against the judiciary for five straight days since the court’s May 1 ruling sending Lee’s case back for retrial.

As the election gets sidetracked, voters are the ones left shortchanged. With candidates mired in legal troubles and unity battles, their pledges and policy ideas have faded from view. And with little time left, voters have few chances to vet whether those promises hold up.

The last thing the country needs is another rushed vote followed by regret.