In their first debate hosted by election watchdog National Election Commission slated for Sunday, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) will present their visions and discuss ways to revive the struggling economy while boosting the country's ultra-low birthrate.
Lee Jun-seok of the minor centrist Reform Party (RP) and Kwon Young-kook of the minor progressive Justice Party will also take part in the debate.
They are scheduled to hold two additional debates in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the DP candidate has secured a solid lead over his rivals, garnering over 50-percent support, according to a nationwide survey of over 1,000 voters conducted earlier this week and released by pollster Gallup Korea on Friday.
The lawyer-turned-politician, who garnered the most support among voters in their 40s, led the race with 51 percent, surpassing the 50-percent level for the first time. He was followed by Kim at a distant 29 percent, and the youngest presidential candidate from the RP, who turned 40 in March, making him eligible for presidential candidacy, with just eight percent.
About 12 percent of respondents remain undecided. In terms of party preference, some 48 percent of respondents favored the DP, while 30 percent supported the PPP.
The June 3 snap election comes after the Constitutional Court of Korea's ruling early last month to impeach disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law debacle late last year.
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