Lee Jaemyung, Leading in Polls, Counters Criticism of Pledges as "Too Extreme"
Kim Moonsoo Launches Barrage Over "Yellow Envelope Act and Semiconductor Act"
Kwon Youngguk Clashes with Lee Jaemyung Over Anti-Discrimination Law
In the first televised debate of the 6·3 presidential election, Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, focused on defense, while Kim Moonsoo of the People Power Party and Lee Junseok of the Reform New Party took an offensive stance. Despite Lee Jaemyung's strategy to maintain his lead in approval ratings and other metrics, the attacks from Kim Moonsoo and Lee Junseok failed to break through his defenses.
At the presidential candidate TV debate hosted by the National Election Commission and broadcast on the three major networks on the 18th, the debate strategies of the ruling and opposition party candidates were clearly revealed. Although speaking time was allocated to each candidate, analysis showed that Lee Jaemyung spoke the most. According to the transcript, Lee Jaemyung accounted for 31% of the total speaking time, followed by Kim Moonsoo with 24%, Lee Junseok with 23%, and Kwon Youngguk with 22%.
◆Lee Jaemyung on the defensive= Lee Jaemyung, who spoke the most, generally concentrated on defense and attempted to demonstrate his ability to manage state affairs stably. In response to criticisms targeting his past statements or the ambiguity of his foreign policy, he countered by saying, "That's a distortion," or "That's too extreme." However, figures from the People Power Party and others criticized Lee Jaemyung's debate strategy as "arrogant." Amidst focused attacks, he also launched counterattacks by raising issues related to Kim Moonsoo's past political funding controversies.
◆Kim Moonsoo launches a barrage of attacks= Kim Moonsoo mounted a relentless offensive against Lee Jaemyung. He raised legislative issues such as the Yellow Envelope Act and the Special Semiconductor Act, focusing on questioning Lee's ability to govern. In particular, he demanded an apology for Lee Jaemyung's remarks on the 120-won coffee cost. However, Lee Jaemyung and Kwon Youngguk criticized Kim Moonsoo in relation to his tenure as Minister of Employment and Labor during former President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration and the fact that he had effectively received support.
On the 18th, presidential candidates from each political party pledged their efforts at the 21st Presidential Election Candidates Debate hosted by the National Election Broadcasting Debate Commission held at SBS Prism Tower in Mapo-gu, Seoul. From the left: Kim Moonsoo of the People Power Party, Kwon Youngguk of the Democratic Labor Party, Lee Junseok of the Reform New Party, and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea. 2025.5.18 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group
◆Lee Junseok leads the offensive= Lee Junseok specifically challenged Lee Jaemyung's artificial intelligence (AI) growth strategy, diplomatic direction, and pledges such as the relocation of HMM headquarters. Lee Junseok launched pinpoint attacks on concrete issues, raising questions about their feasibility. However, he was unable to penetrate Lee Jaemyung's defensive responses, which often involved ambiguous answers or criticism of the premises. Some observers noted that by focusing on criticizing Lee Jaemyung, Lee Junseok failed to adequately present his own policies.
◆Kwon Youngguk champions progressive issues= Kwon Youngguk of the Democratic Labor Party led the offensive from the outset by holding former President Yoon accountable and demanding Kim Moonsoo's resignation. He clashed with Kim Moonsoo and Lee Junseok over labor policy, but specifically criticized Lee Jaemyung's stance on the anti-discrimination law.
Choi Byeongcheon, head of the New Growth Economy Research Institute, commented, "For Lee Jaemyung, it was more important not to lose points than to score them, and he did quite well." Regarding Kim Moonsoo, Choi said, "Compared to his party's support, he has the lowest cohesion and thus the most potential for growth, but his attacks lacked edge." On Lee Junseok, Choi remarked, "Among the four candidates, he was the most thoroughly prepared, but he failed to provoke or overpower his opponents."
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