Presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has been placed under heightened security following reports of plots to attack him, his campaign said Saturday.
Lee of the liberal Democratic Party is "going to have difficulty having direct contact with people from now on due to continued reports of plots to attack the candidate," the campaign said via YouTube and Facebook.
During a campaign stop in the eastern coastal city of Sokcho the same day, Lee asked the locals for their understanding, saying he will not be able to hold their hands due to security concerns.
The conservative People Power Party, however, dismissed the decision as a "sham" aimed at delaying his retrial on election law violation allegations.
"The court marshal will not harm candidate Lee, so he can relax and meet him to accept the notification of his hearing," the party said in a commentary, adding that as a candidate of a major party, Lee is already provided the same level of security as a prime minister.
"We hope he rests easy and attends his trial," the party said.
On Friday, the Seoul High Court scheduled the first hearing of the retrial for May 15 and sent notification of his duty to attend both via mail and a court marshal.
The retrial was ordered by the Supreme Court earlier this week, reviving the possibility that Lee could receive a sentence barring him from running in the June 3 presidential election.
