First 4-Party Debate Hosted by Election Commission
Ahn Focuses Offensive on Yoon
Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, shakes his head after hearing a response from Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, regarding the 'digital data economy' pledge during the 3rd four-way presidential debate held at MBC in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 21st. Photo by MBC Broadcast Capture.
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, named Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, as the most disappointing candidate after completing the first TV debate hosted by the National Election Commission.
On the 21st, after a two-hour-long four-candidate debate held at MBC in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Ahn said, "Yoon’s remarks showed a lack of understanding and distinction regarding platform businesses and the data industry, which was the most disappointing."
During the debate, Ahn focused on questioning Yoon’s pledges. When Ahn asked Yoon, "What is the digital data economy?" Yoon replied, “Currently, all digital devices are connected to each other, and information data flows like water. We must accelerate this flow to create autonomous vehicles and the culmination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
When Ahn asked, "What is the core among these?" Yoon said, "It is important to build networks where data can move quickly, such as 5G (5th generation mobile communication), and AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms that can be gathered and analyzed directly in the cloud."
Then Ahn pointed out, "Those are all hardware, not data or infrastructure," to which Yoon countered, "That’s not true. Significant software technology development is necessary to operate this."
When Ahn finally asked about 'government data openness,' Yoon answered, "Some data can be shared, but there are also security issues." Ahn closed his eyes, smiled, and shook his head in response.
Afterward, Ahn explained that all data unrelated to national security must be disclosed for the data industry to develop, adding, "It seems you do not have a clear awareness of the problem, which is concerning."
Additionally, Ahn criticized Yoon’s answers regarding fiscal policy, saying, "Your points are off-target," and "It seems you haven’t thought deeply about this."
Meanwhile, on the 20th, Ahn declared the breakdown of unification talks with Yoon. Ahn stated, "I waited and observed for the past week. I will now end this meaningless process and time."
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