SEOUL — Three contenders of the Democratic Party (DP) for South Korean
presidential elections are set to hold their second public debate on Wednesday,
four days before the party plans to pick its candidate for the June 3
presidential election.
The debate will bring together former DP leader Lee
Jae-myung, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon and Kim Kyung-soo, a former
South Gyeongsang Province governor.
During the 90-minute debate, the candidates will present
their visions in key areas, including politics, the economy, diplomacy,
security and social policy.
Lee, who declared his presidential bid earlier this month
and is leading opinion polls for the presidential election, recently won two
regional primaries by a large margin, Yonhap news agency reported.
The DP will hold two more regional primaries before it
picks a presidential candidate on Sunday.
The upcoming election is triggered by former President
Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his short-lived martial law declaration in
December. Lee lost the presidential race to Yoon by a thin margin in 2022.
Meanwhile, earlier on April 22, the People Power Party
(PPP) shortlisted four contenders in the first round of its presidential
primary race.
The four candidates are former Labour Minister Kim
Moon-soo, former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo,
and lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, according to the party's election commission.
The results were determined based on surveys conducted by
five polling agencies from Monday to Tuesday, covering a combined total of
4,000 respondents.
The PPP originally had eight presidential primary
candidates, which also included PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won, Incheon Mayor Yoo
Jeong-bok, North Gyeongsang Governor Lee Cheol-woo and former DP Rep. Yang
Hyang-ja.
In the second round, two candidates will be selected
through a process that equally combines party member votes and public opinion
polling. The party will confirm its candidate on May 3.
The presidential election will be held on June 3 after
Yoon was ousted on April 4 over his shocking martial law bid.
According to a Realmetre poll released early this week,
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, former DP leader, kept a strong lead with 50.2 per cent
support.
Trailing Lee was Kim with 12.2 per cent. Han received 8.5
per cent and Hong garnered 7.5 per cent.
While the conservative contenders have intensified
political attacks against the former DP leader Lee, the PPP seemed to be
perplexed by Lee's strong lead in opinion polls.
Last week, a plan to create a new political party in
support of Yoon was put on hold.
Rep. Lee Yang-soo of the PPP told SBS radio that such a
plan would have a negative impact on the party in the face of the presidential
election.
Meanwhile, candidates will be required to register by May
11 and the official campaign period will kick off on May 12.
The law also requires a public servant running for
President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the
deadline.
The new President will assume office immediately after
the election without a transition team.
