South Korea's presidential candidates faced off in a heated first TV debate on Sunday evening, ahead of a snap election on June 3 to choose a successor to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his short-lived martial law declaration in December.
Lee Jae-myung, the main opposition Democratic Party's candidate and the frontrunner in the race, has faced criticism from opponents as being too friendly to China, citing his comments that South Korea does not need to get involved in China-Taiwan disputes.
However, Lee, who considers pragmatism as key to his foreign policy, said the country "should not go all-in" on its alliance with Washington, and said managing China and Russia relations was important. However, security cooperation with the US and Japan is necessary.