Lee Jae-myung, Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jun-seok, Kwon Young-guk Clash in First Presidential TV Debate Today

Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung, People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo, Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok, and Democratic Labor Party's Kwon Young-guk will stand on the first TV debate stage after the official election campaign period.

The debate, hosted by the Central Election Broadcast Debate Commission, will be held at the SBS Studio in Sangam, Seoul, from 8 PM on the 18th. In this debate, candidates will discuss 'overcoming low growth and revitalizing the people's economy' with a time allocation format, giving each candidate 6 minutes and 30 seconds. Following this, two rounds of policy verification debates will be held on the topics of 'Trade Strategy in the Trump Era' and 'Strengthening National Competitiveness'.

As this is the first TV debate among the four candidates, it is expected that they will devise winning strategies to leave a strong first impression on voters. Although two more TV debates are scheduled for the 23rd and 27th, this debate is anticipated to be a crucial turning point that could determine the election's direction.

Lee Jae-myung, who is leading in various recent polls, is expected to leverage his previous presidential experience to maintain his strong momentum in TV debates. He is likely to focus on solidifying his lead by emphasizing his image as a 'prepared president'.

In this economy-themed debate, he is expected to highlight economic policy messages aimed at the moderate conservative base, such as the amendment of the Commercial Act and investment in advanced industry R&D. On Facebook the previous day, he mentioned economic policies including △ nurturing AI as one of the top three global powers △ fostering global advanced companies △ supporting small and venture businesses △ constructing a West Sea maritime power grid △ promoting the cultural industry △ shifting the paradigm to region-led growth.

He is also predicted to emphasize the 'rebellion force frame' by criticizing the economic mismanagement of the Yoon Seok-youl administration and highlighting Kim Moon-soo's relationship with former President Yoon, noting that Kim served as the Minister of Employment and Labor in the Yoon administration.

Kim Moon-soo is expected to criticize Lee Jae-myung's pledges as 'populism' and emphasize maximizing corporate autonomy and creativity. Kim has proposed economic policies such as easing the Serious Accident Punishment Act, liberalizing working hours, reducing inheritance and transfer taxes, and reforming corporate inheritance taxes. He is also anticipated to criticize Lee's 'basic series' pledges while emphasizing the importance of a free market economy.

Lee Jun-seok is determined to use this debate as a turning point. Confident in his debating skills, Lee has canceled some schedules to prepare for the debate, aiming to use the TV debate as a platform for a rebound. He is expected to attack both Lee Jae-myung's populist policies and the economic mismanagement of the Yoon Seok-youl administration.

Kwon Young-guk is likely to highlight issues such as reducing inequality. He is expected to emphasize the importance of labor and distribution, which are core agendas of progressive parties.

Meanwhile, the TV debate featuring the four candidates will be broadcast live from 8 PM for two hours on three terrestrial broadcasters and four comprehensive programming channels. It will also be available on the Central Election Commission's YouTube and Naver TV.

Kim So-yeon, Hankyung.com Reporter sue123@hankyung.com