Nostalgia for 2002 Presidential Debate Surfaces Amid Current Election
As viewers tuned into the recent TV debates for the 21st presidential election in South Korea, many found themselves reminiscing about the presidential debates from 23 years ago. A one-minute YouTube short titled 'A Debate with Dignity Unlike Today' has garnered over 12.1 million views as of June 2, 2025. This video features highlights from the 2002 presidential election debate between Roh Moo-hyun of the Millennium Democratic Party and Lee Hoi-chang of the Grand National Party.
During the debate, the candidates engaged in a spirited discussion about relocating the administrative capital. Lee questioned the rationale behind spending 6 trillion won on such a move instead of investing in education for the underprivileged. Roh countered by pointing out that the congestion costs in the Seoul metropolitan area exceed 10 trillion won annually, along with over 8 trillion won in environmental pollution costs, questioning whether 6 trillion won was too high to alleviate the suffering of ordinary citizens.
Lee responded by asserting that the traffic issues in the metropolitan area should be addressed as traffic problems, arguing that moving the capital to Daejeon would merely shift the congestion rather than solve it. Roh rebutted, stating that the construction of a small administrative capital in the Chungcheong region would not lead to a significant transfer of traffic congestion.
Netizens have expressed that the logical and policy-focused nature of the debate starkly contrasts with the current political climate, where personal attacks often overshadow substantive discussions. Comments such as 'This is what constructive debate looks like' received over 45,000 likes, while others lamented the current state of political discourse, wishing for a return to such respectful exchanges.
Additional shorts from the debate, including discussions on pension reform and bipartisan agreements on market opening, have also attracted significant viewership, with one video reaching approximately 2.05 million views.
This year's election has been noted for having the fewest debates, with only three organized by the National Election Commission featuring more than two major candidates. The law mandates at least three debates from the day after candidate registration until the day before early voting, indicating that only the minimum requirement was met. Critics have pointed out that the focus of the debates has largely been on personal attacks rather than policy discussions, leading to accusations and counter-accusations among candidates, including a recent police report filed by the Democratic Party against a candidate for allegedly spreading false information.
