Heo Kyung-young Cannot Participate in TV Debate... Court Rules "Reasonable Discrimination"

Huh Kyung-young, the National Revolutionary Party candidate for Seoul mayor, is seated at the Seoul mayoral by-election candidate debate held at KBS Yeouido, Seoul, on the 29th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Heo Kyung-young, the presidential candidate of the National Revolutionary Party, filed an injunction with the court against a TV debate involving only the four parliamentary party candidates excluding himself, but the injunction was dismissed.

The Civil Agreement Division 21 of the Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Park Byung-tae) held a hearing on the injunction application filed by candidate Heo against the three terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC, and SBS on the 28th, seeking to prohibit the broadcast of a presidential candidate invitation debate, and made this decision.

Earlier, after the court blocked a one-on-one debate between Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, the three broadcasters proposed holding a four-party debate on the 31st or the 3rd of next month with the two parties plus the People’s Party and the Justice Party. Candidate Heo filed the application the day before, arguing that it violated the principle of equality.

The court ruled that the four-party debate is a "reasonable and substantial differentiation to provide useful information about the election and to activate debates and discussions."

It further explained, "It is difficult to see that it infringes on the principle of equality, the public’s right to know, voting rights, or that it exceeds the discretion in selecting participants for the debate by violating legitimacy or fairness."

The court noted that unlike other candidates, Heo’s party has no seats in the National Assembly and his support rate in opinion polls does not reach 5%, stating, "It is also difficult to consider that holding a debate by inviting only some candidates infringes on the public’s right to know or voting rights."

Considering the limited opportunities to hold debates and broadcast time, the court held that restricting the invitation to candidates within a certain range of those with a chance of winning rather guarantees voters the opportunity to compare and choose among strong candidates.

After the hearing, candidate Heo said, "The injunction will be granted unconditionally," and added, "If it is not granted, I will remember all the judges."

The injunction application with the same content filed by candidate Heo at the Seoul Southern District Court is expected to have a hearing date set after the Lunar New Year holiday. Previously, the Southern District Court dismissed Heo’s injunction application to prohibit the one-on-one debate broadcast between candidates Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl.

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