Lee Jae-myung Candidate Expresses Thoughts After Second TV Debate

On the 23rd, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed his disappointment immediately after the second TV debate organized by the National Election Commission.

After the debate, he met with reporters and said, "As the debate progressed, it seems that there was increasingly less discussion about the future of the country and more mudslinging and baseless attacks, which is truly regrettable."

He emphasized, "I will strive to focus more on policy debates about how we can improve the future of this country and the lives of our citizens."

Evaluation of Other Candidates' Debates and Self-Reflection

When asked to evaluate the debates of other candidates, Lee expressed, "One must respect the words of the opponent, but it is difficult for a debate to progress when things are stated with assumptions that differ from the intent or when they are distorted."

He added, "I feel that I also have many shortcomings and that the debate culture in the Republic of Korea is still quite immature."

Regarding his own performance in the debate, he stated, "I always feel lacking and disappointed," and expressed, "I try my best, but it is insufficient. I will work harder to address my shortcomings in the future."

"Always Lacking and Disappointed"

Position on Health Insurance Premium Increase

Lee also expressed his stance on the issue of increasing health insurance premiums, which he mentioned during the debate.

He said, "The current economic situation is very challenging. For now, we should focus on wisely overcoming the crisis," adding, "It seems difficult to review any increase that would immediately raise the burden on the public in the short term."

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Kim Mun-soo of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-suk of the Reform Party, and Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party held the second televised debate on social issues at KBS studio in Yeouido, Seoul, at 8 PM on the same day.

The candidates are scheduled to have another debate on political issues on the 27th.

Image source: Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party presidential candidate / News1, (from left) Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party presidential candidate, Kim Mun-soo, People Power Party presidential candidate, Kwon Young-guk, Democratic Labor Party presidential candidate, Lee Jun-suk, Reform Party presidential candidate / News1