Lee, the leader of the progressive Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), faced off against conservative challenger Kim Moon-soo and other candidates during the debate on Sunday, with foreign policy taking centre stage, particularly the future of South Korea’s ties with the United States and China.
Kim, the People Power Party (PPP) candidate and a former labour minister under Yoon, seized the moment to question Lee’s commitment to the US-South Korea alliance, suggesting his past remarks had raised concerns in Washington.
“In reality, isn’t the South Korea-US alliance extremely important to us?” Kim asked during the debate. “That alliance must be the fundamental axis. But considering the remarks you have made – and continue to make – it’s quite appalling from the US perspective.”
He accused Lee of undermining the alliance by previously opposing the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile system deployed in South Korea, and failing to respond when then-Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming warned in 2023 that Seoul would “regret” siding too closely with Washington.
Lee rejected the notion that he was downplaying the alliance. “There’s no need to worry. The South Korea-US alliance is important and should continue to grow and strengthen,” he said.
