'Should I Debate with This Kind of Person?' Yoon's Debate Strategy... Pros and Cons for the Presidential Election

People Power Party: If Special Prosecutor Not Accepted, Only Legally Mandated Debates
Democratic Party and Others: 'Presidential Debates Are the People's Right to Know'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] An analysis suggests that Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, who is reluctant to engage in debates with other candidates citing that it would only lead to fights, is doing more harm than good to his approval ratings. This is because his refusal to debate is more likely to be perceived as a ‘lack of understanding of current issues’ or ‘absence of communication efforts’ rather than a justified reason.

On the 30th, controversy continued in political circles over Yoon’s stance of not participating in TV debates beyond the three debates mandated by the Public Official Election Act. At the launch ceremony of the Gyeongbuk campaign committee held in Andong, Gyeongbuk, Yoon said, “Should I debate with such a person in front of the people?” and added, “It’s really absurd. Truly ridiculous.” His reasoning was that Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly changed his pledges and has not disclosed the truth about the Daejang-dong scandal, making it impossible to debate together. Previously, Yoon had conditionally accepted debates if Lee agreed to a special prosecutor investigation. Currently, Article 82-2 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that there must be at least three debates in a presidential election. Yoon intends to comply only with this minimum legal requirement.

Regarding this attitude, Park Yong-jin, co-chairman of the Democratic Party’s campaign committee, appeared on a radio show the same day and criticized, “Debates are not the candidates’ rights but the public’s right to know,” adding, “If (Lee) shows weaknesses by changing pledges and words, it would be a good opportunity for Yoon to attack through debate, so it’s hard to understand why he uses this as an excuse to avoid debates.” On the other hand, Won Hee-ryong, head of policy for the People Power Party, who also appeared on the same broadcast, defended Yoon by saying, “It’s natural to follow what the law stipulates,” but added, “Yoon’s position is to have the special prosecutor investigation first and then proceed with debates.”

Yoon has stated he will participate in debates as required by law, but within the campaign committee, there appears to be some confusion about this stance. The day before, Shin Ji-ye, senior deputy chairperson of the New Era Preparation Committee, commented on the narrowing gap in approval ratings between Yoon and Lee, saying, “I think it’s time for (Yoon) to debate.” However, she reversed her statement on a radio show the same day, saying, “How can you discuss the fate of the country with a candidate who has criminal allegations?”

Regarding the debate issue, it seems that only the People Power Party’s campaign committee shares Yoon’s position. Major political forces including the Democratic Party, the People’s Party, the Justice Party, and the New Wave all criticize this stance. The fundamental question is whether it is appropriate for a politician to refuse debates. Experts also predict a negative impact on Yoon.

Professor Park Sang-byeong of Inha University’s Graduate School of Policy Studies sees Yoon’s avoidance of debates as stemming from a lack of understanding of current issues. Professor Park said, “Calling Lee a bad person and saying you can’t debate with someone like him is sophistry,” adding, “Judgment of criminality should be made by the courts, and more importantly, if someone has the support of a significant portion of the public, you should engage in dialogue with that person.” Jeong-geon Seo, a U.S. political expert at Kyung Hee University, compared by saying, “In the U.S., the number of TV debates is not set by law but decided through mutual agreement, and the culture there regards debating as an essential skill for politicians, so avoiding debates is not an option.”

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