Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, and Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party will engage in a heated debate over social issues during the second TV debate for the 22nd presidential election on the 23rd.
The four presidential candidates will attend a debate hosted by the National Election Commission at 8 p.m. that evening at the KBS studio in Yeouido, Seoul. The debate, co-hosted by three major broadcasting companies, will be broadcast live and focus on the topic of 'social issues.'
The candidates will first engage in a free discussion on the topic of 'overcoming social conflicts and integration strategies' using a total-time system. They will then move to a pledge verification discussion on the topics of 'pension and medical reform in preparation for an ultra-aged society' and 'responses to the climate crisis.'
Lee Jae-myung is expected to maintain his 'stable leadership' strategy this time as well. Emphasizing 'national integration' as a key priority for the next president, he is likely to address the responsibilities related to former President Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law incident while conveying the message that all must unite to overcome national crises, regardless of ideology or faction. He is also expected to express his will to complete reform tasks while criticizing the failures of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration regarding medical and pension reform.
Kim Moon-soo is expected to concentrate on targeting Lee Jae-myung head-on. In particular, he is anticipated to launch an offensive regarding Lee's 'basic society' proposal announced the day before. Additionally, he is likely to target conservative voters by maintaining a critical stance on laws such as the anti-discrimination law and the yellow envelope law. Furthermore, he plans to reveal specific positions on plans for normalizing the medical system based on his recent visit to the Korean Medical Association.
Lee Jun-seok is also expected to directly criticize Lee Jae-myung following the first debate. He is likely to delve into Lee Jae-myung's proposal for a 4.5-day workweek and basic society initiative. Moreover, he is expected to emphasize the elimination of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family as a key distinction between himself and the candidates Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo.
Kwon Young-guk, a lawyer from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is expected to continue his offensive against Kim Moon-soo regarding labor issues, including the 'yellow envelope law' (revision of Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act) and the promotion of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. Heated debates are also anticipated regarding the enactment of the anti-discrimination law. During the first debate, Kwon criticized Lee Jae-myung for not clearly stating his position on the enactment of the anti-discrimination law.
The debate will be simultaneously broadcast live on KBS, MBC, and SBS, as well as on National Assembly Broadcasting, KTV National Broadcasting, Welfare TV, and Arirang TV.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidates will participate in the final third debate on the topic of 'politics' on the 27th at 8 p.m. at MBC in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.