PPP presidential hopefuls present vision; DP to hold first televised debate

Thank you for joining us. I'm Bae Eun-ji.

Partisan primaries are in full gear ahead of the election set for June 3rd.

The People Power Party held a round table today with its presidential hopefuls, each speaking on the country's future.

And later this evening, the Democratic Party's presidential contenders will face off in their first televised debate.

Our political correspondent Shin Ha-young starts us off.

As the presidential election gets closer, both rival parties are stepping up the pace in their primaries.

The People Power Party held a party vision presentation on Friday, where each primary presidential candidate had nine minutes to speak freely on the theme of South Korea's future, following a pre-drawn speaking order.

One name that came up among all the contestants, including Kim Moon-soo , Han Dong-hoon and Hong Joon-pyo , was Democratic Party front-runner Lee Jae-myung, as each candidate claimed they were the one best positioned to defeat him.

Ahead of the candidates' speech, the PPP floor leader also called for ways to stop wrongdoing by Lee's political faction.

"Candidates should explain how they plan to stop the wrongdoing of Lee Jae-myung's political faction if elected president. Please show that the PPP offers a more hopeful and better vision for South Korea than his."

The candidates also emphasized that they had no legal risks, while targeting Lee's legal troubles.

Friday's presentation was held ahead of the party's first round of debates set for this weekend, with the candidates divided into two groups of four.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has framed the presidential election as a way to end the insurrection scandal and restore the country to normal.

"This presidential election is about ending the insurrection and getting the country back on track. What drives change in government and leads to winning the election is the interest and participation of the people."

The DP primary candidates will face off in their first televised debate on Friday evening.

The 80-minute debate will begin at 8:30 PM, covering politics, the economy, foreign affairs, and social issues.

All three candidates have shared a common pledge to fully establish Sejong City, located within Chungcheong-do Provinces, located within Chungcheong-do Provinces, as South Korea's administrative capital, proposing to relocate the presidential office there.

Investing in AI has also been a key focus for the candidates.

With these issues on the table, the debate is expected to heat up, especially over these policies.

Tensions are also expected over tax policy, with preliminary candidates Kim Kyung-soo and Kim Dong-yeon supporting tax hikes, in contrast to Lee Jae-myung.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.