Yoon Seok-yeol "Who watched the debate more?"... Lee Jae-myung "It's about not doing politics"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, appeared on the YouTube channel 'Sampro TV'.
[Photo by YouTube 'Sampro TV']

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, clashed over the issue of holding television debates, expressing opposing views.

On the 25th, Yoon appeared on the economy-focused YouTube channel 'Sampro TV' and expressed a negative stance regarding a debate with Lee. He argued, "(Policy debates) don't seem to be very helpful," adding, "When debating, people end up attacking and defending, making it difficult to properly explain their thoughts." He also rhetorically asked, "During the People Power Party primaries, we held 16 debates, but who actually watched those debates?"

Yoon stated, "It would be best if people could watch candidates express their thoughts and then make their own judgments, whether viewers or experts." He continued, "Debates ultimately just turn into fights," and added, "From the public's perspective, when choosing the highest decision-maker of this country's public government, having many policy debates doesn't seem to help in verifying the person's way of thinking."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, appeared on the YouTube channel 'Sampro TV'. [Photo by YouTube 'Sampro TV' capture]

However, Lee expressed an opposing view. On the same day, during an appearance on Yonhap News TV's 'Markman's Talk,' Lee countered Yoon's claims by saying, "In the end, the public watches the debate to judge and choose, but Yoon is saying he won't give that opportunity," and "The public also makes judgments through disputes. It may be painful, but they must embrace it."

Lee pointed out, "It is natural that people with different positions exist, and politics is about how to reconcile these differences," adding, "Debates happen, and the process of persuading and compromising is itself a dispute. Avoiding this means not doing politics." He also criticized, "I watched the video Yoon appeared in on YouTube and felt that politics is not like that," and said, "It is inappropriate behavior for a politician in representative democracy."

Kang Seon-woo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's presidential campaign committee, criticized on her Facebook, saying, "Using fighting as an excuse to avoid debates, Yoon ultimately admitted he is afraid of scrutiny regarding qualifications, morality, and policies," and called it "a disgraceful remark that disrespects the People Power Party primary candidates." On the other hand, Jang Soon-chil, full-time deputy spokesperson for the People Power Party's campaign committee, responded in a statement, "Debates must be conducted with dignity," and rebutted, "Should we really listen to a candidate who changes positions morning and night and fabricates anything based on convenience in front of the public?"

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