The presidential election is only five days away, and two issues will likely determine last-minute decisions. While rival candidates Lee Hoi-chang and Roh Moo-hyun came up with numerous campaign promises, voters' attention has been narrowed down two subjects, the relocation of the administrative capital and North Korea's nuclear development.

However, voters are still confused about what each candidate thinks, as Lee and Roh are not consistent and obscure their stances by seeking a neutral attitude. Hopefully, the coming bilateral TV debate on December 16 will be able to distinguish the color of each candidate, giving the voters a clearer idea where Lee and Roh stand.

Due to their triangular structure, with inclusion of Democratic Labor Party's Kwon Young-ghil, and routine format the two previous TV debates failed to sharpen differences between the two presidential hopefuls. Now that Lee and Roh have a face-to-face showdown, voters expect to see some real opinions and visions presented.

When Roh came up with administrative capital relocation plan, two sides collided with far different estimation of cost; Roh claims W4.5 to W6 trillion would be enough, while Lee insists the job would take at least W40 trillion. Voters can make no sense out of two numbers so widely apart, and both candidates should provide reliable basis how the cost was calculated, and where the money would come from to finance the expensive project.

Along with the cost issue, Roh and Lee should present a future vision of Seoul after shedding the political and administrative functions. Lee needs persuasive grounds on why Seoul would become hollow after the relocation, and Roh should provide future plans for Seoul after it loses the title of capital. Instead of vague arguments of "Seoul will become just a shell with no core" and "we can move noisy feuds to Chungcheong Province," Lee and Roh need to participate in the discussion seriously.

Moreover, the country, and the world, is watching the nuclear issue on the peninsula with Pyongyang's announcement to end the freeze on its nuclear power plants, and the foremost security issue deserves the full attention of two candidates. Only after Lee and Roh show their security plan, would the voters be able to decide whom they can trust with the nation's security.

December 14, 2002