Presidential candidates set to face off in 1st TV debate
This combination of pictures shows Korea's presidential candidates of the June 3 election. From left are 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 Korean Democratic Labor Party. Yonhap
Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his People Power Party (PPP) rival Kim Moon-soo will face off Sunday over how to revive the nation's ailing economy in their first televised debate ahead of the June 3 election.
Lee Jun-seok of the minor Reform Party and Kwon Young-kook of the minor Korean Democratic Labor Party will also take part in the debate at 8 p.m., hosted by the National Election Commission.
The upcoming election will choose a successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over a botched martial law attempt in December.
Sunday's debate will be held under the themes of revitalizing the economy, trade strategies in the Trump era, and strengthening national competitiveness.
The DPK's Lee, who has led opinion polls by wide margins, is likely to focus on maintaining his lead by emphasizing his preparedness for the presidency.
The PPP's Kim is expected to attack Lee's pledges of adopting regional currencies as populist policies and argue for policy measures to support a freer environment for businesses and boost innovation.
Lee of the Reform Party is also expected to dispute the DPK candidate's pledges, while Kwon will likely lay out measures to reduce economic inequality.
The four candidates are expected to minimize their campaign schedules Sunday to focus on preparing for the debate.
The DPK's Lee and the Reform Party's Lee will attend a ceremony marking the 45th anniversary of the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, before attending the debate.
Kim is set to announce his campaign pledges for the economy before preparing for the debate.
The four candidates will hold two more televised debates on May 23 and May 27, respectively, before election day.