Lee Junseok Clears Schedule to Focus on Second TV Debate

Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, has cleared his public schedule on May 23, except for his visit to the tomb of former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village, Gimhae, Gyeongnam Province, in order to focus on preparing for the second televised presidential debate.

Lee is currently refining the details for the upcoming debate on social issues among presidential candidates, which is hosted by the National Election Commission. He plans to defend himself against attacks from other candidates who accuse him of engaging in divisive politics, including gender-based divisions, and to highlight controversies surrounding Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party candidate, particularly regarding allegations of judicial intimidation.

A Reform New Party official said in a phone call, "We expect Lee Jaemyung to attack by claiming that Lee Junseok is engaging in 'political division' and 'creating social conflict,'" and previewed a counterstrategy. The party's strategy is to question, if political division is mentioned, "Who is truly responsible for divisive politics?" They are also preparing to scrutinize and verify the candidates' pledges on major social issues, including pension and healthcare reform for a super-aged society, responses to the climate crisis, and solutions to the low birth rate.

Candidate Lee Junseok Visits Bongha Village

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Lee Junseok, the presidential candidate of the Reform New Party, visited Bongha Village in Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province on May 23, 2025, to pay respects at the tomb of former President Roh Moo-hyun. [Provided by Reform New Party. Resale and database prohibited]

Photo by Yonhap News (end)

There is also speculation that, following the first debate, Lee Junseok will continue to challenge Lee Jaemyung's so-called "hotel economy theory," arguing that it is a fiction. In the first debate, Lee Junseok criticized, "Is this supposed to be a perpetual motion machine where money never disappears?" In response, Lee Jaemyung has defended the legitimacy of his hotel economy theory during his field campaigns this week.

Given that Lee Junseok has drawn a clear line against a conservative candidate unification, he is also likely to focus on differentiating himself from Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party candidate. Lee stated the previous day, "There are too many people making unnecessary comments about political engineering and unification, so I have set my phone to block all calls."

Meanwhile, Kwon Youngguk, the Democratic Labor Party's presidential candidate, called for strengthening the Serious Accidents Punishment Act ahead of the televised debate. Kwon pointed out, "There have been 1,748 fatal incidents in the three years since the law was enacted, with only 5% resulting in prosecution and a mere 0.2%?just four cases?leading to prison sentences," adding, "How can we blame the law's shortcomings when the existing law is not being properly enforced?"