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Second presidential TV debate records 26.4 percent viewership

April 19, 2017
Presidential candidates hold hands before their second TV debate, hosted by KBS, on April 19, 2017. From left are Sim Sang-jeung, Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seong-min, Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo. (Yonhap)

Presidential candidates hold hands before their second TV debate, hosted by KBS, on April 19, 2017. From left are Sim Sang-jeung, Hong Joon-pyo, Yoo Seong-min, Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, April 20 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s second presidential television debate was watched by more than a quarter of all TV-viewing households, data showed Thursday.

The two-hour live debate aired on KBS 1TV at 10 p.m. Wednesday recorded a 26.4 percent nationwide viewership, according to Nielsen Korea. The figure represents more than a threefold jump compared with the public network’s average 7-8 percent rating from its regular broadcast.

North Korea, missile defense and national security emerged as hot topics. Front-runner Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party took a battering from his rivals over his views on North Korea and national security.

Amid heavy attention on the debate, TV dramas that were aired simultaneously on other terrestrial networks did poorly.

KBS 2TV’s “Queen of Mystery” stood at 7.7 percent, while SBS TV’s “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors” and MBC TV’s “Radiant Office” clocked in at 6.9 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.