PPP holds second TV debate

[Anchor]

In five days, the People Power Party will elect a new party leader.

On the last weekend before the convention, the candidates clashed in a TV debate today (Aug. 17).

They fiercely debated every issue, from their relationship with former President Yoon to emergency martial law and responses to special investigations.

Lee Yoo-min reports.

[Report]

In the second TV debate for the People Power Party leadership election, the candidates clashed again over martial law and impeachment.

[Cho Kyoung-tae/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "We cannot allow insurrection forces and those who support them to remain in our party's true conservatism..."]

[Jang Dong-hyuk/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "The moment you say there are forces sympathizing with insurrection, it only serves to hand over the party to the Democratic Party, doesn't it?"]

[Ahn Cheol-soo/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "Do you agree with the collective claim of 'Yoon Again' that emergency martial law was an enlightenment decree?"]

[Kim Moon-soo/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "We need to enlighten, but is enlightenment through such a method of martial law appropriate...?"]

They revealed subtle differences in their views regarding the special investigation's raid on the party headquarters.

[Ahn Cheol-soo/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "If there are criminal allegations, we should allow the investigation, but demanding the party member list is not right."]

[Jang Dong-hyuk/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "If you anticipated an outrageous special investigation, why did you support the special investigation?"]

They also clashed over the arrest of former President Yoon.

[Kim Moon-soo/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "Do we really have to just arrest a former president and drag him away?"]

[Cho Kyoung-tae/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "Shouldn't we cooperate with the investigation?"]

They uniformly criticized the Lee Jae-myung government.

[Ahn Cheol-soo/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "The biggest mistake was the August 15 pardon that released Cho Kuk and Youn Mee-hyang."]

[Cho Kyoung-tae/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "They claimed to promote national unity, but justice and fairness have collapsed...."]

[Kim Moon-soo/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "As soon as he became president, he immediately suspended his own trial."]

[Jang Dong-hyuk/People Power Party Leadership Candidate: "The Lee Jae-myung government has been swayed by organizations like the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions...."]

Regarding solutions to the declining party approval ratings, candidates Cho Kyoung-tae and Ahn Cheol-soo emphasized a break from supporting former President Yoon and martial law, while candidates Kim Moon-soo and Jang Dong-hyuk focused on internal unity. For the values of conservatism, candidates Cho and Ahn highlighted the spirit of the rule of law, while candidates Kim and Jang pointed to the defense of liberal democracy.

The People Power Party will hold its final TV debate the day after tomorrow (Aug. 19) and will elect its party leader on the 22nd after member voting and public opinion polls on the 20th and 21st.

If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a runoff will be held on the 26th to ultimately decide the party leader.

This is KBS News, Lee Yoo-min.