Yoon and Lee Face Off in Exactly 'Three Rounds'... Yoon Seok-yeol Participates in Only One Debate This Month

Kwanhun Club and Broadcast Journalists Club Both Adopt 'One-Person Debate' Format
Experts Warn "Avoiding Debate Can Be a Fatal Blow"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, are attending the "21st Anniversary Ceremony and Academic Conference Commemorating President Kim Dae-jung's Nobel Peace Prize" held at the Kim Dae-jung Library of Yonsei University in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 9th, and are conversing during the event. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporters Chae-eun Koo and Jun-yi Park] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, who suddenly notified his absence from the debate scheduled with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, causing its cancellation, is currently coordinating with the organizers to reschedule the event for the end of this month. However, this time it is expected to take the form of a ‘one-on-one interview’ rather than a one-on-one debate. Criticism is also emerging that Candidate Yoon is avoiding a one-on-one debate, and if this situation continues, the mandatory debates until election day will likely be the only opportunity to watch a direct debate between the two candidates.

A People Power Party election committee official said in a phone interview on the 10th, "The Broadcast Journalists Club, which hosted the debate that was canceled on the 2nd, requested a solo appearance by Candidate Yoon, and we are coordinating the schedule." The previous debate was conducted as a solo interview with Candidate Lee due to Yoon’s absence, but now a solo interview with Candidate Yoon will also be held for balance. Candidate Yoon will also participate in the Kwanhoon Club event on the 14th, which is also a ‘one-person debate.’

Meanwhile, Candidate Lee’s side continues to propose one-on-one debates in hopes of making them happen. These include one-on-one meetings and weekly debates (proposed on November 9), and one-on-one policy debates (proposed on November 10), but Candidate Yoon has not responded. On November 1, Candidate Yoon drew a line by saying in a media interview, "It is meaningless to debate with a candidate who is not honest."

According to Article 82-3 of the Public Official Election Act, legally mandated debates hosted by the Election Broadcasting Debate Commission during the official campaign period must be held ‘at least three times’ during a presidential election. If Candidate Yoon chooses a strategy to face Candidate Lee with the ‘minimum’ number of debates, it will be just three debates. However, it is unlikely that Candidate Yoon will avoid even the legally mandated debates, so when the official campaign period begins on February 15, opportunities to watch direct debates between the two candidates are expected to be arranged.

The first TV debate of the 19th presidential candidates held on April 13, 2017
[Photo source=Asia Economy DB]

In the case of the 19th presidential election held on May 9, 2017, a total of six multi-candidate debates were held during the official campaign period. In addition to the three legally mandated debates, there were three more debates hosted by media organizations. Even before the campaign period, candidates participated in the ‘National Assembly Constitutional Amendment Special Committee’s hearing of presidential candidates’ opinions’ debate.

Regarding this ‘debate drought,’ Professor Sang-chul Park of Kyonggi University’s Graduate School of Political Studies said, "It is unacceptable in today’s political environment, where elections are increasingly about providing voters with information and making choices based on that information, for presidential candidates to avoid debates," adding, "Now, avoiding debates is not just seen as a disadvantage but can be a fatal blow." Political commentator Jong-hoon Lee said, "Candidate Yoon tends to have a lower understanding of current issues and general administration, whereas Candidate Lee does not, which could be an advantage," and predicted, "Candidate Yoon will need time to prepare the completeness of his policies and pledges before debates."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.