PRES. CANDIDATES' FIRST TV DEBATE

[Anchor Lead]

The first televised debate between major presidential candidates took place Thursday with the election a little over a month away. As expected, the two frontrunners, Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, clashed over the Daejangdong land development scandal.

[Pkg]

Four presidential contenders held their first TV debate with 34 days until the election. Main opposition People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol got the right to ask the first question. He cut right to the chase and brought up allegations surrounding a major land development project.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "Through the development project, Kim Man-bae and others invested KRW 350 mn and reaped profits and dividends of KRW 640 bn."

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "Those related figures bought a house for your father. That’s also a profitable move."

Lee said he has more to say but time is precious and moved on to another topic, targeting his rival.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "Why was a blind eye turned to irregularities involving bank loans? Why did Kim’s sister buy your father’s house?"

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "It seems you can’t answer the question since you’re changing the topic."

The duo also clashed over renewable energy terminology.

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "How will you respond to ‘RE100’? (Can you repeat that?)"

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "A new system called the ‘EU Taxonomy’ is under discussion. What are your thoughts on the nuclear power plant issue?"

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "EU what? I haven’t heard of it. Educate me."

Justice Party’s candidate Sim Sang-jung took issue with what Yoon’s wife Kim Keon-hee had said regarding the so-called Me Too movement during a conversation with a reporter whose recordings have been disclosed. Highlighting Kim’s remarks about how she is on the side of a former governor accused of sexual assault allegations, Sim asked Yoon to offer an apology.

[Soundbite] Sim Sang-jung(Justice Party Pres. Candidate) : "Are you willing to apologize to Kim Ji-eun who is under great pain since your wife’s remarks came to light?"

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(PPP Pres. Candidate) : "A public figure’s wife is also a public figure. So I would like to apologize to everyone including Kim Ji-eun."

People’s Party’s Ahn Cheol-soo meanwhile took aim at Lee Jae-myung asking whether he was a successor to the current administration.

[Soundbite] Ahn Cheol-soo(People’s Party Pres. Candidate) : "I have a question for Lee. Is it true that you are the heir to the Moon Jae-in administration?"

[Soundbite] Lee Jae-myung(DP Pres. Candidate) : "No, not an heir. I seek to create a new Lee Jae-myung government."

During the first two-hour debate, Lee and Yoon did not raise allegations involving each other’s wives.