Lee Jae-myung and Kim Dong-yeon Receive Mixed Reviews on Debate... Ruling Party: "Dignified" vs Opposition: "Feels Like Scripted Acting"

Lee Jae-myung and Kim Dong-yeon Engage in 95-Minute Debate Hosted by CBS
Ruling Party: "Over 170,000 Viewers Watched"
Opposition: "No Tension at All... Can't Tell if It's a Debate or Holiday Greetings"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Kim Dong-yeon, the New Wave presidential candidate, are attending a bilateral policy debate held at CBS in Mok-dong, Yangcheon, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 2nd, engaging in conversation. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The ruling and opposition parties have given mixed evaluations of the policy debate between Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and Kim Dong-yeon, the New Wave presidential candidate. While the ruling party praised it as a "dignified debate," the opposition criticized it, saying, "It was hard to tell whether it was a debate or just exchanging New Year's greetings during the Lunar New Year holiday."

Earlier, on the 2nd, the two candidates engaged in a heated debate on three topics?politics, economy, and diplomacy?during the 95-minute debate hosted by CBS.

On that day, Lee began the free discussion by saying to Kim, "I am very glad to see you. I wanted to meet you," and opened by stating, "(Kim is) recognized by both me and the public as the top expert in our country on economy and finance."

The two candidates showed a friendly atmosphere throughout the debate, expressing mutual agreement on each other's opinions. In particular, when Kim said, "There are many populist pledges and slogans aimed at winning votes, but what matters is the ability to implement them," Lee responded, "I completely agree with your words. What good is it to just talk a lot?" and added, "Everyone knows your capability, so I hope you get a chance to demonstrate your skills."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is giving a greeting before the one-on-one policy debate with Kim Dong-yeon, the New Wave presidential candidate, held at CBS in Mok-dong, Yangcheon, Seoul on the afternoon of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Democratic Party evaluated the one-on-one debate between the two candidates as "showing the essence of policy debate through a dignified discussion."

Park Chan-dae, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party's election campaign committee, said in a written briefing, "The debate was broadcast live, and more than 170,000 viewers watched it through various YouTube channels," adding, "There were many evaluations that the two candidates showed their political visions in an easy and sincere manner."

He added, "It shows how curious our people are about the presidential candidates and how thirsty they are for 'high-quality policy debates.'"

On the other hand, the People Power Party continued to criticize the debate, citing that allegations related to Lee's Daejang-dong development scandal and Seongnam FC sponsorship fund case were not addressed during the debate.

Jang Soon-chil, senior deputy spokesperson of the People Power Party's election campaign headquarters, released a statement saying, "There was no tension throughout the debate, and the atmosphere was so friendly that it was hard to tell whether it was a debate or just exchanging New Year's greetings during the Lunar New Year holiday," and added, "The public who watched the debate must have understood why Lee forcibly canceled the one-on-one debate with Yoon Seok-youl."

He continued, "The verification that the public wants from Lee is not ordinary. They want the truth behind the numerous allegations surrounding him to be revealed first," and pointed out, "Lee himself said he designed Daejang-dong, but about 1 trillion won in profits went to the private sector. So why is this considered a good thing? Why, if it is a good thing, are Lee's close aides related to the Daejang-dong gate and whistleblowers exposing corruption dying prematurely? Why is the investigation agency leading a strong defense in the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund case, which has even darker corruption suspicions beyond the Daejang-dong gate?"

He also said, "Besides these, there are allegations such as four prior convictions, suspicions of paying legal fees, favoritism in personnel appointments for Lee's close aides, and even defending a murderer with diminished mental capacity amid all kinds of disgraceful insults. If all these allegations about Lee's life trajectory are true, is he really suitable as a presidential candidate? The public is asking this question first and believes thorough verification is necessary," emphasizing, "Philosophy, vision, and policy capability come next."

Furthermore, he said, "Throughout the debate between the two candidates, the questions and answers that the public wanted did not take place. There was no evidence or rebuttal logic presented to clarify whether Lee is the mastermind behind the numerous allegations," and criticized, "In short, it felt like watching actors performing according to a well-scripted play. The 90 minutes passed in vain and meaningless."

Meanwhile, Lee, along with Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party, will face off in a TV debate at 8 p.m. on the 3rd. This is the first time all four presidential candidates from the ruling and opposition parties will gather for a debate. The debate will be held for two hours from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., covering policy and current issues.

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