First TV Debate of People Power Party Leadership Candidates... Han Dong-hoon Dominates 18 Minutes of 52-Minute Debate

Questions Focused on Candidate Han Dong-hoon
Intense Debate Surrounding 'Kim Geon-hee Lady's Text Messages'

At the first televised debate among the People Power Party's presidential candidates held on the 9th, Na Kyung-won, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Won Hee-ryong focused their scrutiny on candidate Han Dong-hoon. The three candidates launched an attack on Han centered around the controversy over the 'Kim Geon-hee text messages.' Han led the debate, speaking for about 18 minutes during the 52-minute main debate session.

Han spoke for 9 minutes 51 seconds out of 28 minutes in the first main debate

The first main debate, which began with candidate Yoon Sang-hyun, allotted 7 minutes per candidate, totaling 28 minutes of discussion. Han spoke for 9 minutes and 51 seconds during this time, accounting for about 35% of the total debate time. This calculation simply added the time Han led the debate by asking questions and the time he responded to questions from other candidates. It also included moments when Han and other candidates spoke simultaneously. If the time other candidates spent questioning Han is included, the total debate time involving Han could be even longer.

Breaking it down by candidate, during Yoon's 7-minute main debate, Han spoke for 2 minutes and 13 seconds, which is about 31.6% of Yoon's allotted time. During Won Hee-ryong's main debate, Han spoke for 1 minute and 41 seconds (24%), and during Na Kyung-won's session, Han spoke for 1 minute and 38 seconds (23.3%). When Han led the debate, he spoke for 4 minutes and 19 seconds (61.6%), dominating the discussion. In the first main debate, the candidate holding the floor had to direct questions to at least two other candidates. Among the three candidates, none refrained from questioning Han.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Han spoke for 7 minutes 51 seconds out of 24 minutes in the second main debate

The second main debate allotted 6 minutes per candidate, resulting in a total of 24 minutes of discussion. Han spoke for 7 minutes and 51 seconds (32.7%) during this period. Unlike the first debate, where candidates had to address at least two others, the second debate did not require this, leading to a concentrated focus on Han. Both Yoon and Won devoted their entire 6 minutes to debating Han. This contrasted with Na, who asked all candidates about their presidential ambitions or current issues. Notably, while Na, Yoon, and Won had instances where they finished the debates without being questioned by others, Han was questioned by other candidates in both the first and second main debates.

During the second main debate, Han spent about 4 minutes questioning Won about decisions he made in the past, including Won's 2005 proposal to allow foreigners to vote and his stance on North Korea. The remaining approximately 2 minutes involved a back-and-forth with Na regarding her absence from campaign support rallies during the general election period as a co-chair of the joint campaign committee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The core issue: the Kim Geon-hee text message dispute

The reason for the concentrated focus on Han was the content of text messages sent by Kim Geon-hee to Han. Yoon criticized Han for constantly changing his story, saying, "At first, he said public matters shouldn't be discussed through private channels; then he claimed the messages were inaccurate; next, he mentioned interference in presidential office affairs; then he said Kim Geon-hee didn't apologize; and finally, he said he demanded an apology from Kim at the presidential office but was instead asked to resign." Yoon added, "If Han were a special prosecutor, a suspect who changes their story like this would have their arrest warrant issued immediately."

Han countered, saying, "The claim that I changed my story is a lie." He emphasized, "I have been consistent. I was informed through multiple channels that Kim Geon-hee had no intention of apologizing." He further questioned Yoon, "If I had responded to Kim's private messages, it would have caused more problems, and if the private replies were made public, it would be a nightmare. If I become party leader, will I discuss party affairs with Kim Geon-hee via Telegram?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Na also criticized, saying, "Cutting off communication without hearing from the person involved (Kim Geon-hee) is 'political immaturity.'" He added, "I was shocked when I saw the messages released by TV Chosun. It appears Kim Geon-hee clearly expressed her intention to apologize. Han keeps talking about public and private channels, but what matters is that the person involved expressed their intention to apologize."

Han responded, "At that time, I publicly pointed out that the controversy did not meet the public's expectations and conveyed to the presidential office that an apology was necessary." He explained, "I confirmed through multiple channels that Kim Geon-hee had no intention of apologizing. I believed the message content did not reflect her true intentions, and at that point, responding to private messages could cause discord." He added, "Since the presidential office had already made it clear they would not apologize, isn't that why they asked me to resign?"

Won, following the request of the party's election management committee, focused on policy and vision competition rather than political disputes. He asked Han about solutions to high interest rates and high inflation in both the first and second main debates. Han demanded an apology from Won regarding the controversy over alleged interference by Han's family in candidate nominations, which Won had raised in media interviews. Won dismissed this, saying, "It's not that I have nothing to say; this is enough." Han emphasized, "Won is lying unilaterally, causing over 200 news articles, and then refusing to respond. The public will feel disillusioned. This is exactly the old-fashioned politics we must overcome."