LAST DEBATE AMONG PPP CANDIDATES

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Following the last round of debate among its presidential candidates on Sunday, members of the main opposition People Power Party are casting their votes to select the presidential candidate. In yesterday’s debate, each of the four PPP contenders appealed to party members and voters, describing themselves as the only right one to beat the ruling party’s candidate Lee Jae-myung in next year’s presidential election.

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On Sunday, the eve of the party members’ voting, the main opposition bloc's presidential hopefuls put on a spurt to win more votes. In a video message, Yoon Seok-youl asked party members for support, highlighting there is no prepared expert when it comes to doing the job of president. Hong Joon-pyo held a press conference and apologized for expelling former President Park Geun-hye from the party. He also promised to work to have the two imprisoned conservative ex-presidents pardoned. Yoo Seong-min visited Daegu and asked local voters to give him a chance. During a visit to Daejang-dong in Seongnam City, the region central in a land development scandal surrounding Lee Jae-myung, Won Hee-ryong stressed himself as the best opponent to match up against the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. The key issue in the final debate was determining who is strong enough to beat Lee Jae-myung in next year’s presidential election.

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(PPP Presidential Candidate): "I've dealt with many corruption cases like this while working as a prosecutor for a long time. I believe the people will pick me as the best person to fight and root out such corruption."

[Soundbite] Hong Joon-pyo(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "The president is not the one who commands and directs the investigation. I am the best person to take on Lee Jae-myung who is called the Chavez of Gyeonggi-do and a Venezuelan express train."

[Soundbite] Yoo Seong-min(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "In terms of policy, I am the most difficult person for the ruling party to deal with. I have no ethical issues. So the DP itself once said that I would be the toughest rival to face in the presidential election."

[Soundbite] Won Hee-ryong(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "What would happen if we go to confront Lee Jae-myung with little knowledge about him. Would you want to repeat the disappointing parliamentary inspection?"

The two leading candidates, Hong Joon-pyo and Yoon Seok-youl, fiercely battled to win over moderate, centrist voters.

[Soundbite] Hong Joon-pyo(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "Have you heard of the 398 candidate? The one who gains an approval rating of 3 percent among those in their 20s, 9 percent among 30-something voters and 8 percent among voters in their 40s. That is not enough to win the presidential election."

[Soundbite] Yoon Seok-youl(PPP Presidential Candidate) : "This is what they say about Hong Joon-pyo. All his votes are borrowed ones. Those who voted for him will surely vote for the Democratic Party in the presidential election. Do you think that is expandability?"

The People Power Party will select its presidential candidate on Friday through a party members’ voting and a two-day survey of non-member, general voters. The party members’ voting began on Monday and the survey is scheduled to take place from Wednesday.