Korea’s 2025 presidential debate to air live around the globe

From left, candidates for the June 3 presidential election ― Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party and Kwon Young-kook of the Justice Party ― are set to face off in their first televised debate on Sunday, which will be broadcast live with real-time English interpretation to 135 countries via Arirang TV. Courtesy of Arirang TV

By Baek Byung-yeul

• Published May 16, 2025 4:51 PM KST
• Updated May 16, 2025 5:02 PM KST

Korea’s 2025 presidential candidate debates will be broadcast live to a global audience, with real-time English interpretation available to viewers in 135 countries, state-funded English broadcaster Arirang TV announced Friday.

The first debate for the June 3 presidential election, focusing on economic issues, is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday, with subsequent sessions addressing social integration and political polarization later in the month.

The live broadcast marks a milestone for Korean democracy, as the debates will be accessible not only to domestic voters but also to the 7 million overseas Koreans and other international viewers interested in Korean politics, Arirang TV said.

The initiative aims to highlight the transparency of Korea’s political process and introduce the candidates’ visions and policies to a global audience, reinforcing the country’s commitment to democratic values, the broadcaster noted, adding that this is their first attempt at a live broadcast of this kind.

Four leading candidates — Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party and Kwon Young-kook of the Justice Party — will participate in the first debate. They will discuss strategies for overcoming low economic growth, revitalizing the economy, Korea’s trade policy and ways to enhance national competitiveness.