Anchor: With the June 3 election approaching, South Korea's top presidential contenders clashed in their final televised debate Tuesday night, with tensions running high over issues of martial law, democratic principles, and personal attacks. The three leading candidates, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, and Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party, traded barbed accusations, framing this election as a battle over the nation’s democratic future. Our Yun Sohyang has more. 

Report: Candidates seeking the presidency in the June 3 election clashed over martial law and other political issues during their third and final televised debate Tuesday night.

During the two-hour debate hosted by the National Election Commission, the candidates engaged in fierce attacks, spending more time dissecting each other’s weaknesses than questioning specific policy pledges. 

[Sounds: candidates talking over each other]

The Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung accused the People Power Party’s Kim Moon-soo of defending impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and his insurrection, calling him Yoon’s “avatar” and warning that Kim’s election could result in Yoon’s return.

[Sound bite: Lee Jae-myung - presidential candidate for the Democratic Party (Korean-English)]
“Bullets may be strong, but they are weaker than votes. This election is about restoring the voters' rights and overcoming insurrection. Please cast your ballots.”

Kim said it was premature and misleading to call Yoon’s December 3 martial law move an insurrection before a court rules on the matter, adding that the court must decide whether it was an insurrection, while reiterating his opposition to martial law.

He also denounced the DP’s move to shield its candidate Lee Jae-myung from his legal woes.

[Sound bite: Kim Moon-soo - presidential candidate for the People Power Party]
“There are all kinds of dictators but this idea of a 'bulletproof dictatorship', a dictatorship used to shield oneself, is unheard of. Even Lee Nak-yon, the former leader of the Democratic Party, has expressed support for me.”

Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok also attacked Lee Jae-myung over allegations that have put the DP candidate at the center of five ongoing criminal trials.

[Sound bite: Lee Jun-seok - presidential candidate of the Reform Party]
“This election is about pushing back against irrational forces defending martial law and forces that go against principles and seduce voters with populism. It's about restoring principles and common sense.”

But Lee Jae-myung dismissed the accusations as baseless, saying the Yoon administration’s prosecutors fabricated the charges against him.
Yun Sohyang, KBS WORLD Radio news.