The candidates Lee, the Frontrunner and his opponent Kim Clash in the first of the three televised debates.
The two main presidential candidates of South Korea, Lee Jae-Myung and Kim Moon-Soo, have celebrated the first of the three televised debates as the race intensifies to replace former President Yoon Suk-Yeol, who was withdrawn in April for his pollide movement to declare the martial law at the end of last year.
Yoon's expulsion has fueled political agitation in the nation, and a rapid election is scheduled for June 3.
During the heated debate on Sunday, Lee, who is The candidate of the Democratic Party of the main opposition and the favorite in the race, faced criticism about being too friendly with China of his opponents, who cited his comments that South Korea does not need to get involved in China-Taiwan disputes.
But Lee, who considers pragmatism as a key to its foreign policy, said that the country “should not go” in its alliance with the traditional ally of the United States and requested the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
He added that managing relations with China and Russia was important, while indicating that security cooperation with the United States and Japan is necessary.
Lee also advocated first putting the interests of South Korea in response to US tariffs, more investment in artificial intelligence (AI), protection for unionized workers and a four and a half days work week.
There was no need for Seoul to rush to reach a commercial agreement with Washington, Lee said during the two -hour debate.
South Korea has begun commercial conversations with the USA. And he is looking for an exemption from 25 percent tariffs that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, slapped the country in April, after which Seoul was one of the first countries to celebrate face -to -face conversations with Washington, after Japan's footsteps.
“I think we should prepare well for this delicate and competent way,” Lee added, also arguing that South Korea needs to promote high -tech and renewable energy industries to overcome low economic growth.
“We will focus on developing the so -called Sovereign so that our people can use at least something like Chatgpt for free as an electronic calculator,” he said.
Kim, candidate for the popular popular conservative party, promised to create jobs and deregulate to foster companies.
Kim has also promised to create a government agency dedicated to innovating regulations and investing more than five percent of the investigation and development budget.
The fourth largest economy in Asia contracted in the first quarter when exports and consumption stagnated, amid fears on the impact of aggressive tariffs and Washington's political agitation at home.
Lee has an advantage with 51 percent support in the latest Gallup Korea survey published on Friday, with Kim very behind 29 percent.
Lee called a constitutional reform to allow a four -year presidency and two periods and a two round system for the presidential elections through a referendum. The presidents of South Korea currently fulfill a single period of five years.
He also promised to stop the presidential right to declare the martial law and hold those responsible for the declaration of December 3.
Former President Yoon had affirmed at the time he declared the martial law that the antistatal and North Korean forces had infiltrated the government. But the senior military and police officers who were sent to close the National Assembly of the country have testified that they ordered them to stop rival politicians and prevent the assembly from voting to raise their military rule order.
