The first TV debate in the economic sector… Confrontation among four candidates
The four main candidates for the 21st presidential election have gathered in one place for a TV debate, where Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate from the Reform Party, became a topic of conversation among citizens due to his 'flushed face.'
As the focus shifted to his 'flushed face' rather than the debate content, the candidate quickly moved to clarify the situation.
On the 18th, a TV debate for presidential candidates organized by the National Election Commission was held at the SBS Prism Tower in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
The debate featured Lee Jae-myung from the Democratic Party, Kim Moon-soo from the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok from the Reform Party, and Kwon Young-gook from the Democratic Labor Party. The topic of the debate was 'economy,' and each candidate engaged in fierce exchanges about overcoming low growth, trade strategies during the Trump era, and ways to enhance national competitiveness.
Lee Jun-seok's facial color change sparked discussions on social media… "Medication due to campaign-related issues"
After the debate concluded, many citizens captured and shared moments of Lee Jun-seok's face turning red during the discussion, speculating about his health condition.
Some citizens speculated that the flushing was due to the candidate exhibiting signs of severe excitement.
With the focus drawn away from the debate content to his facial color and expressions, the candidate urgently took to his Facebook later that night to provide an explanation.
Lee Jun-seok stated, "I have been prescribed a lot of anti-inflammatory medication due to throat injury during the campaign," adding, "I appreciate those who expressed their concerns." He also mentioned, "Thank you to all the candidates present, including Lee Jae-myung, Kim Moon-soo, and Kwon Young-gook for their efforts in the debate."
"Lee Jae-myung reacts defensively to questions… Gaps in promises"
Meanwhile, after the debate, Lee Jun-seok continued to criticize Lee Jae-myung when speaking with reporters.
He remarked, "When I asked specific questions about policies, he reacted sensitively with remarks like 'Don't distort this' and 'Don't interpret it too extremely,'" indicating that "the person who proposed the most extreme policies was actually him, and it's hard to understand his consistently rude attitude."
In particular, the candidate highlighted Lee Jae-myung's flagship economic promise of '100 trillion won investment in AI,' taking issue with it. He stated, "Despite being a grand promise, he hasn't been able to present a concrete execution plan or at least a minimal explanation of funding," further commenting that "this reveals a lack of preparation for economic policies as a whole."
Image source: News1
