People Power Party: "Lee Jae-myung, Let's Have a One-on-One Debate First, Don't Hide Behind a Four-Way Debate"

"The Public Most Wants to Hear About Various Allegations Against Candidates of the 1st and 2nd Parties"

Seong Il-jong, member of the People Power Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Juni Park] On the 27th, the People Power Party proposed to Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, "Do not hide behind the four-party debate" and said, "Respond to the one-on-one debate first, and we can have the four-party debate anytime."

Seong Il-jong, head of the People Power Party's TV debate negotiation team, held a press conference at the party headquarters in the afternoon and said, "It would be good if the broadcasters invite candidates who meet the standards of the National Election Commission, and the agreement between the two parties is not about the form of invitation but about holding a debate directly organized by the two parties to fulfill the agreement."

Seong explained, "Legally, there are three joint debates among the four parties, but if necessary, they can be held anytime through consultation," and added, "We propose to conduct the one-on-one debate first and then proceed with the four-party debate as agreed by simply changing the method." He continued, "If the four-party debate is held first, due to time constraints, each candidate would have less than 30 minutes to speak," and said, "I hope they do not cowardly hide behind the curtain of the four-party debate."

In response to a reporter's question on whether holding the one-on-one debate on the 31st before the Lunar New Year holiday is effectively a 'collusion,' Seong said, "What the public most wants to see and hear about are the various suspicious issues concerning the candidates of the first and second parties," and added, "The one-on-one debate should be held first to address what the public wants to ask and hear the most, and the timing around the Lunar New Year is good for viewing across generations."