A court in South Korea has dismissed a request for an arrest warrant for the leader of the main opposition party, Lee Jae-myung. The country's prosecutors were seeking his arrest on breach of trust and other charges.

Lee, who heads the Democratic Party, is accused of corruption in connection with a land development project while he was a city mayor. He is also alleged to have been involved in a company's illegal cash remittances to North Korea.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported the court's rejection early Wednesday. The report quoted a judge as saying, "It is difficult to see the rationale and need for his arrest."

The decision came after a court hearing attended by Lee on Tuesday. Prior to that, the opposition-controlled National Assembly last week passed a motion to give consent to the arrest.

Lee has been strongly opposed to the policies of President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration. He called the investigation against him political oppression.

Lee's party is expected to step up its confrontational stance against the Yoon administration as the general election is scheduled for April of next year.