First Presidential Debate Expected to Focus on Lee Jae-myung
Today (18th), the first TV debate among presidential candidates will take place.
According to the Central Election Broadcasting Debate Commission, the debate will be broadcast live simultaneously on KBS, MBC, and SBS from 8 PM to 10 PM today. Additional debates are scheduled for the 23rd (focusing on social conflict and integration) and the 27th (focusing on political polarization) at the same time.
In this debate, the main candidates will face off on the issue of 'overcoming low growth and revitalizing the people's economy.' Hot topics are expected to include 'measures to strengthen national competitiveness' and 'trade strategy in the Trump era.'
The participating candidates include four out of the seven total candidates: Lee Jae-myung (Democratic Party), Kim Mun-soo (People Power Party), Lee Jun-seok (Reform Party), and Kwon Young-guk (Democratic Labor Party). The remaining three invited but excluded candidates (Liberty Unification Party's Gu Joo-wa, independent candidates Hwang Kyo-ahn and Song Jin-ho) will participate in a separate debate the following day (19th).
Lee Jae-myung is expected to be the primary target during the debate. He is anticipated to minimize gaffes while emphasizing stable leadership, presenting a vision for restoring economic growth along with his signature pledge of 'universal basic income.'
Candidate Kim Mun-soo will draw a line by stating, "Lee Jae-myung's growth theory is fictitious," and plans to highlight achievements from his tenure as the governor of Gyeonggi Province, such as the push for GTX and the development of the Pangyo Techno Valley. Additionally, the People Power Party has aimed directly at Lee with claims that his slogan 'worker theory' is "fake."
Candidate Lee Jun-seok is expected to increase the intensity of his attacks. He plans to criticize Lee Jae-myung's proposed expansionary fiscal policy as "having low feasibility and being populistic," while offering alternative pledges like promoting reshoring and reforming the national pension system.
Kwon Young-guk from the progressive bloc also joins the criticism. He stated, "A growth-centric discourse makes it difficult to recover domestic consumption," and that "recovery of distribution and socio-economic justice should take precedence." He also questioned Lee Jae-myung's 'centrist-conservative' approach, raising doubts about the possibility of a progressive alliance.
Debate Expected to Feature Clash over Foreign Affairs and Trade Strategies, Including Trump and She-she Controversy
Foreign security issues will also be prominent in the debate. Candidate Lee Jae-myung previously referred to former President Trump's strategy as "the madman operation" during a Democratic primary debate.
Candidate Kim Mun-soo is likely to directly attack this statement, labeling it "an inappropriate expression diplomatically" and potentially stirring up controversies over anti-American sentiment and pro-China concerns. He is maintaining his stance of wanting to meet Trump directly immediately after being elected.
Meanwhile, candidates Lee Jae-myung and Lee Jun-seok are expected to head directly to the debate after attending the 45th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising commemoration in Gwangju today. Candidate Kim Mun-soo has announced his economic pledges at the party office in Yeouido this morning and is preparing for the debate.
The three televised debates will serve as a stage where each candidate's messages, strategies, attacks, and defenses are aggregated. Especially in this first debate, which could significantly impact approval ratings, every word from the candidates is expected to draw more attention than ever.
Image source: News1, Candidate Kim Mun-soo / News1
