One week ahead of the June 3rd presidential election, a third TV debate held on the 27th focused on scrutiny and attacks aimed at Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate who is leading in the polls.
Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party candidate, and Lee Jun-seok, the Reform Party candidate, relentlessly dug into Lee Jae-myung's 'judicial risks' and 'moral issues,' leading to evaluations that the debate for the 120 minutes was dominated by negative attacks rather than policy competition.
◇ Lee Jae-myung 'insurgency' vs Kim Moon-soo 'bulletproof dictatorship'
During a TV debate organized by the National Election Commission focusing on political issues, Kim Moon-soo accused Lee Jae-myung of being a symbol of 'bulletproof dictatorship' from the beginning. Kim stated, 'There are many dictators in the world, but they claim to run dictatorships for the people. However, I have never heard of a bulletproof dictatorship run by a criminal for their own protection. This is unprecedented in world history.'
He continued, 'Isn't Lee Jae-myung facing five trials currently? Moreover, all five trials are not ordinary but involve multiple high-profile cases, including Daejang-dong, Wirye New Town, Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam FC, and the SSANGBANGWOOL North Korean remittance case. How can someone facing so many trials simultaneously propose a law to suspend these trials if they become president?'
Kim Moon-soo continued to press, referencing the deaths of associates and surrounding figures of Lee Jae-myung, saying, 'How could the people not feel uneasy if such a person becomes president?'
Lee Jae-myung countered, 'The prosecution is conducting harsh interrogations to fabricate cases, which caused these people distress. I have never met any dealers or even had a cup of coffee with them. Their deaths are due to the prosecution's brutal investigation.'
Lee Jae-myung criticized Kim for insisting that the evaluation and response to the 12.3 emergency martial law were not acts of insurrection. Kim retorted, 'We should judge it based on the trial results regarding insurrection charges.'
Lee Jae-myung pressed Kim, asking whether he agreed with the impeachment, removal, and detention of former President Yoon.
Kim replied, 'Former President Yoon has been removed from his position by the Constitutional Court. However, there were some procedural issues in the impeachment process. Nonetheless, he has been removed, and I acknowledge that, which is why I am running as a candidate.'
Lee Jun-seok asked again, 'Do you think the impeachment of former President Yoon was justified?' and Kim affirmed, 'Isn’t it? That’s what the Constitutional Court ruled.'
Lee Jae-myung repeatedly asked, 'Will you sever ties with Yoon Seok-youl?' Kim Moon-soo responded, 'President Yoon has already left the party. It's not about severing ties; there is no relationship.'
◇ Lee Jun-seok also attacks Lee Jae-myung... 'Hotel economics' and 'corporate cards' debate
Lee Jun-seok also raised the scrutiny on Lee Jae-myung. Regarding the 'hotel economics' controversy, he pointed out, 'Lee Jae-myung defended hotel economics by mentioning Lucas's divergence, but do you know that this individual was the editor of the German Communist Party's organ? Introducing a communist's philosophy to the public as an economic theory is inappropriate.'
In response, Lee Jae-myung said, 'I hope you will stop branding me as a communist like a witch hunt. The example cited is just a classical economic flow example included in a Bank of Korea publication.'
Regarding the corporate card misuse allegations, Lee Jun-seok pointed out, 'You purchased 2.8 tons of fruit with a corporate card. Do you perhaps keep an elephant at home?' Lee Jae-myung replied, 'This is a ridiculous assertion. I have never engaged in such matters, and how can I know about transactions conducted by the operational department?'
Lee Jae-myung confronted Lee Jun-seok over his late arrival at the National Assembly during the vote to lift the martial law, asking, 'Why did you go home to shower and change clothes leisurely?' Lee Jun-seok replied, 'I don't know what you want. Are you trying to morally condemn me? I did not take my time. I went immediately and came out immediately.'
◇ The debate focused only on North Korean remittances and THAAD... discussions on constitutional amendments and other current issues fell short.
In this third TV debate, substantive policy verification was virtually absent, leading to attacks rather than agreements on key issues such as diplomacy and security.
Lee Jae-myung and Kim Moon-soo clashed over 'nuclear armament.' When the former asked, 'Do you assert that our country should pursue nuclear armament?' Kim responded, 'It’s not about nuclear armament but achieving nuclear balance. It should be done cautiously within the scope of maintaining the Korea-U.S. alliance.'
When Lee pressed, 'Shouldn't you clearly state whether you are for or against nuclear armament?' Kim replied, 'The Korea-U.S. alliance is the most important pillar, and we should pursue nuclear armament as long as we can do it within the scope of our alliance.' He further explained, 'If pursuing nuclear armament breaks the Korea-U.S. alliance, then it is ineffective.'
Lee then stated, 'Didn’t Kim propose nuclear sharing with the U.S. and the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons? The principle is that the U.S. does not engage in nuclear sharing, so how feasible is that proposal?' Kim responded, 'It is feasible. We can definitely negotiate a unique form of nuclear sharing with the U.S., including NATO-style arrangements. We will effectively promote the deployment of nuclear submarines through the Korea-U.S. summit.'
Lee rebutted, 'If tactical nuclear weapons are redeployed to the Korean Peninsula, we cannot demand denuclearization from North Korea. Isn't denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula our agreed policy?' He also highlighted, 'There are suggestions that the U.S. has designated Korea as a sensitive nation due to concerns about nuclear armament intentions; if we talk about securing nuclear potential, the U.S. will continue to have suspicions,' and criticized, 'Let's discuss feasible proposals.'
Lee Jae-myung and Lee Jun-seok debated the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). Lee Jun-seok remarked, 'Lee Jae-myung has previously said that 'domestic THAAD deployment is for the defense of the U.S.' and implied that he does not understand the THAAD weapons systems at all.'
Lee stressed, 'It is right for Korea to defend itself with an independent missile defense system, and since the deployment is already completed, it is not appropriate to continue to debate this issue in terms of our diplomatic and security strategy.'
Lee Jun-seok further pointed out, 'Lee Jae-myung is facing significant difficulties due to the SSANGBANGWOOL North Korean remittance issue, which could be a subject of U.S. sanctions regardless of legal judgment.' He emphasized, 'Because of such issues, Lee Jae-myung will find himself in a very unfavorable position in diplomacy.'
The discussion that began with attention on 'constitutional amendments' and political system reform ended up as mere formal announcements of promises without substantial disputes or concrete policy competitions between the candidates. Issues such as a runoff voting system and four-year presidential term extensions were also not emphasized.