Seoul: Democratic Party (DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his People Power Party (PPP) rival Kim Moon-soo are set to wrangle over how to revive the nation's ailing economy in their first televised debate this weekend, the election watchdog announced Friday. Lee Jun-seok of the minor New Reform Party and Kwon Young-kook of the minor Justice Party will also participate in the debate on Sunday night, which is hosted by the National Election Commission.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the June 3 election will choose a successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over a failed martial law attempt in December. So far, the DP's Lee has maintained a solid lead in opinion polls, with approximately 50 percent support.
The planned TV debate will focus on solutions to South Korea's low birthrate crisis and strategies to revitalize the economy, which has been affected by the political instability stemming from Yoon's martial law debacle. While the economy has emerged as the top concern among registered voters, candidates have provided few specifics on their policy proposals or how they intend to finance their promises.