(Report) Presidential Candidates Clash at 3rd TV Debate

Anchor: The major presidential hopefuls have once again clashed during a television debate held at KBS in Seoul on Sunday. During the two-hour debate the candidates held heated discussions on issues of national security as well as some of the candidates’ qualifications, amid growing controversies surrounding their alleged past deeds.
Our Moon Gwang-lip has more.
 
Report: The candidates focused on allegations that the Roh Moo-hyun administration sought Pyongyang’s opinion before abstaining from a UN vote on a North Korean human rights resolution in 2007. 
 
At the TV debate on Sunday, they took aim at then presidential chief of staff Moon Jae-in, now the frontrunner for the Democratic Party.
 
Regarding the controversy sparked by the memoir of former Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, Moon denied the allegations.
 
With Liberty Korea Party's Hong Joon-pyo calling him a liar, Moon downplayed the attack as a dirty old trick to label a progressive politician as pro-North Korean.
 
He then placed the blame on the former foreign minister, saying he first suggested the Roh administration ask the North before casting a vote.
 
Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party said Moon, Hong and conservative Bareun Party candidate Yoo Seong-min should all be held responsible for Seoul’s unsuccessful handling of the inter-Korean affairs
 
Regarding the North Korean nuclear crisis, Moon and Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jeung said they will resolve the issue through multilateral diplomacy.
 
Ahn and Yoo emphasized a strong alliance between Seoul and Washington as well as China’s role, saying they will try to persuade Beijing to reign in Pyongyang.
 
Hong said he would rather deal with the North with military dominance, pledging to work for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea.
 
Regarding the constitutional revision, most of the candidates agreed on the need to curtail presidential power and widen the parameters of regional governments. 
 
Hong on the other hand defended the strong presidency, saying the problem is not the scope of presidential power, but how it’s used.
 
However, Hong is on the same page with the other candidates when it comes to the necessity of reform of the nation's prosecution.
 
Moon, Ahn and Sim argued that the National Intelligence Service should also be subject to reform and should be banned from collecting intelligence about domestic affairs and intervening in politics.
 
Hong and Yoo said the spy agency’s intelligence gathering activities at home should be allowed or even strengthened to prevent terrorist activities. 
Moon Gwang-lip, KBS World Radio News.