"Only Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol Visible" vs "Desperate to Divert, Pitiful" First TV Debate, Ruling and Opposition Parties' Opposing Reviews

Ruling Party: "Yoon Desperate to Hide Incompetence with Negative Campaign"
Opposition: "Lee Only Makes False Claims and Irrelevant Responses"

On the 3rd, at the KBS studio in Seoul where the presidential candidate debate jointly hosted by the three terrestrial broadcasters was held, Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party presidential candidate (from the left), Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party presidential candidate, are taking a commemorative photo before the debate. / Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] After the first TV debate among the four presidential candidates jointly hosted by the three terrestrial broadcasters, the ruling and opposition parties gave contrasting evaluations. The Democratic Party criticized, "We did not see presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol, only Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol," while the People Power Party disparaged their opponent by calling him "Lee Jae-myung, the king of irrelevant answers and evasive talk."

Ko Yong-jin, chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election campaign committee, said in a written briefing immediately after the debate, "It is very regrettable to see the opposition candidate waste time tearing others down and slandering instead of presenting their vision and policies." He pointed out, "Candidate Yoon's lack of preparation was repeatedly evident throughout the debate. Ultimately, it can only be seen as a desperate attempt to hide the fact that he is an inexperienced and unprepared incompetent candidate by focusing solely on negativity."

Regarding candidate Lee, he praised, "Throughout the debate, he demonstrated a deep understanding of national affairs and well-prepared governance capabilities. He consistently steered the debate topics toward the realm of people’s livelihood and earnestly sought the future path for Korea at a critical turning point."

He added, "He showed that he is a competent candidate who can truly resolve the people's difficulties and a reliable candidate who can overcome the crises facing Korea," and expressed hope that "the public has judged which candidate is a capable leader to guide Korea in crisis and who is a leader responsible for and capable of solving the people's lives."

On the afternoon of the 3rd, at the KBS Open Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, during the joint invitation '2022 Presidential Candidate Debate' hosted by the three major broadcasters, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), is returning to his seat after a commemorative photo session. On the right is Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, the People Power Party continued their offensive against candidate Lee, saying, "He ultimately avoided the Daejang-dong debate," referring to the Daejang-dong allegations.

Kim Seong-beom, senior deputy spokesperson of the election campaign headquarters, criticized in a statement, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung claims to have recovered 70% of the development profits related to the Daejang-dong preferential treatment allegations and insists that 100% recovery would have been possible without obstruction from the People Power Party." He added, "Despite various evidence emerging and public criticism since Lee’s claim of 70% recovery at the National Assembly audit last October, he still parrots the 70% recovery claim."

He continued, "The essence of the Daejang-dong case is that Lee Jae-myung, then mayor of Seongnam who claimed to be the architect himself, gave preferential treatment to certain private individuals with special relationships by purchasing Daejang-dong land from original residents at a low price." He condemned, "Candidate Lee, who still conceals the truth instead of reflecting and deceives the public with the fake claim of 70% recovery, has no qualification to debate, let alone be a presidential candidate."

Lee Yang-su, chief spokesperson of the campaign headquarters, also issued a statement, saying, "Candidate Lee showed the ultimate irrelevant answer style. Especially when the Daejang-dong issue came up, regardless of who asked the question, he was only busy evading the topic. He gave an absurd answer like, 'Instead of wasting time repeating this, wouldn’t it be better to talk more about the people’s livelihood and economy?'"

He added, "When Ahn Cheol-soo, the People’s Party candidate, asked Lee, 'Isn’t giving nearly 1 trillion won in profits to certain private parties completely different from the development profit recovery system?' Lee gave a ridiculous answer, 'Because the Development Profit Recovery Act has not been passed.'" He criticized, "Every time the Daejang-dong issue was mentioned, Lee failed to answer the public’s questions and only kept giving false answers blaming the People Power Party. His debate performance was rather pitiful."

He further stated, "His excuses that he was just a figurehead mayor of Seongnam who knew nothing are no different," and added, "It would have been more respectful to the public seeking answers to the allegations if he had confessed that he was incompetent and knew nothing."

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