Jung Won-o of the Democratic Party and Oh Se-hoon of the People Power Party will hold their first and final face-to-face debate on May 28, just seven hours before early voting begins. The debate is expected to focus on issues such as safety and real estate in Seoul.
According to the Seoul Election Broadcasting Debate Committee, the legal debate will take place at 11 p.m. at SBS in Sangam-dong, Seoul. The debate will feature four candidates, including Jung and Oh, as well as Kim Jeong-cheol of the Reform Party and Kwon Yeong-guk of the Justice Party.
The candidates will discuss four main topics: △measures for economic recovery △housing stability policies △welfare policies for single-person households △employment policies by age group.
Safety will also be a key issue. Jung has repeatedly criticized Oh over the missing rebar issue in the GTX-A line section at Samsung Station.
At a press conference earlier in the day, Jung stated, "I will approach the debate as I have in the past," indicating he would address the issue. Regarding the collapse of the Seosomun overpass on May 26, he remarked, "We should not politicize an incident with casualties," but added that discussions on improving safety are welcome.
In response, Oh plans to highlight his safety policies and achievements. At a press conference that afternoon, he emphasized, "I have repeatedly stated that safety is the top priority of my administration," noting that he has led initiatives for 100% installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) at construction sites commissioned by the city and 100% installation of screen doors in subways. He particularly highlighted that the installation of screen doors has led to a significant reduction of over 1,000 subway fatalities.
Debate over the real estate policies of the Lee Jae-myung administration is also anticipated. Oh stated, "Citizens are suffering greatly from skyrocketing housing prices, especially rent," and pledged to emphasize real estate issues along with culture and welfare throughout the election process.
Meanwhile, a recent poll revealed that both candidates have the same level of support. A survey conducted by the Cultural Daily, commissioned to Embrain Public, from May 25 to 27 among 805 Seoul voters showed that both Jung and Oh received 39% support.
The survey was conducted via mobile phone interviews, with a response rate of 14.0% and a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Committee.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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