Jeong 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 candidates are expected to engage in heated discussions over issues such as safety and real estate in Seoul.
According to the Seoul Election Broadcasting Debate Commission, the legal debate will take place at 11 p.m. at SBS in Sangam-dong, Seoul. The debate will feature four candidates, including Jeong and Oh, as well as Kim Jeong-cheol of the Reform Party and Kwon Yeong-guk of the Justice Party.
The candidates will focus their discussions on four main topics: measures for economic recovery, housing stability policies, welfare policies for single-person households, and employment policies by age group.
Safety will also be a key issue. Jeong has been attacking Oh over the missing rebar issue in the GTX-A line section at Samseong Station. In a press conference earlier that day, Jeong stated, "I will address this issue in the debate as I have been doing so far." Regarding the recent collapse of the Seosomun overpass on May 26, he remarked, "We should not politicize incidents that involve casualties, but it would be good to discuss how to improve safety and protect lives."
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," and noted that this approach has led to the installation of 100% closed-circuit television (CCTV) at construction sites commissioned by the city and the complete installation of screen doors in subways. He particularly highlighted that the installation of screen doors has resulted in 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 stressed, "Citizens are suffering greatly from soaring housing prices, especially the rapid increase in rent," and stated, "I will emphasize real estate issues, as well as culture and welfare, throughout the election process."
Meanwhile, a recent poll released on the same day showed both candidates with identical support rates. According to a survey conducted by the Cultural Daily, commissioned by Embrain Public, from May 26 to 27, both Jeong and Oh received a support rate of 39% among 805 Seoul voters.
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 National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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