Why Only Four Candidates Debate on TV: A Deep Dive into South Korea’s Election Rules
With seven candidates registered for the South Korean presidential election, a question arises: why do only Lee Jae-myung, Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jun-seok, and Kwon Young-guk appear in televised debates? These candidates, repeatedly featured in prime-time slots, leave others almost invisible. Is it merely a broadcasting decision, or is there more at play?
The Criteria Behind TV Debate Invitations
The South Korean broadcasting networks KBS, MBC, and SBS schedule three televised debates during the presidential election. These debates occur from 8 PM to 10 PM, prime viewing hours for voters. However, not just any candidate can participate. The Public Official Election Act, Article 82-2, sets stringent criteria for who can join these “invited candidates debates.”
The criteria are straightforward yet exclusive:
- The candidate must be from a party with at least five seats in the National Assembly.
- The party must have secured at least 3% of the votes in a recent presidential, legislative, or local election.
- The candidate must have an average support rate of 5% or more in polls designated by the National Election Commission.
Who Makes the Cut and Why?
In the upcoming 2025 election, four candidates meet these criteria. Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung and People Power Party’s Kim Moon-soo meet both the legislative seat and past electoral vote criteria. Lee Jun-seok of the Reform New Party, though lacking in assembly seats, meets the 5% polling support threshold. Kwon Young-guk of the Democratic Labor Party doesn’t have legislative seats but meets past vote percentage requirements from his time with the Justice Party.
The Exclusion of Other Candidates
So why are candidates like Koo Ju-hwa, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Song Jin-ho not seen in these debates? Koo Ju-hwa from the Liberty Unification Party lacks assembly seats and significant past election vote percentages. Hwang Kyo-ahn runs as an independent, missing out on party-related criteria and polling support. Similarly, Song Jin-ho, also independent, fails to meet the criteria due to lack of party affiliation and electoral history.
The One-Time Chance for Non-Invited Candidates
While non-invited candidates aren’t entirely shut out, they have just one opportunity—a separate debate held late at night. This debate often airs after 10 PM, when viewership is low. In 2022, candidate Heo Kyung-young participated in a debate starting at 11 PM, voicing frustration over the unequal exposure despite paying the same 300 million KRW deposit as other candidates.
Is the Invitation Criteria Fair?
Though the criteria seem clear-cut, they arguably favor established parties. New parties without assembly seats can’t meet the seat requirements, and achieving 3% in past elections is impossible without prior participation. A 5% polling support rate is challenging for lesser-known candidates with limited media exposure. Thus, these criteria inadvertently become a barrier for new or independent candidates.
Calls for Reform and Fairer Exposure
Given practical broadcasting constraints, it’s unrealistic to feature all candidates in prime time. However, offering non-invited candidates only one late-night opportunity calls for reform. Suggestions include holding multiple debates or varying time slots to ensure wider exposure to candidates’ policies. As all registered candidates pay a significant deposit, they should receive a baseline level of public exposure.
Ultimately, the presence of Lee Jae-myung, Kim Moon-soo, Lee Jun-seok, and Kwon Young-guk in prime-time debates stems from their meeting the legal criteria. Yet, it’s crucial to reassess whether these criteria align with contemporary political diversity and voter expectations. Ensuring political diversity and broadening voter choice requires moving beyond formal equality to genuine fairness. TV debates are not mere broadcasts but vital democratic tools enabling informed voter decisions. Improving the system is an urgent task that cannot be deferred.