SEOUL Dec 16 Kyodo southern Korea...

SEOUL Dec 16 Kyodo

southern Korea's three presidential candidates forward Monday held their third and final televised debate ahead of Thursday's election, wrangling above social, cultural, educational and women's issues.

Roh Moo Hyun from the pro-government Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) and lee-side Hoi Chang from the largest opposition Grand National Party (GNP) the sum of two units front-runners, shared the stage with underdog Kwon Young Ghil from the Democratic Labor Party (DLP)

Kwon is a labor-activist-turned politician who champions causes of the underprivileged and labor

With the elections simply three days away, Monday's debate has been widely seen as crucial for Roh and to leeward to attract undecided voter which polling agencies say could account for 20-25% of the total 35 million eligible voters

Roh a former human rights lawyer, and side sheltered from the wind a former Supreme Court justice and ex-prime minister, are widely look fored to be in a neck-and-neck race, admitting domestic media put Roh slightly ahead of to leeward in recent opinion polls.

Monday's debate that lasted for couple hours from 8 p.m. was aired live by the and of the nation's major television and radio networks.

The three candidates squared distant from in a policy contest throughout such issues as the nationwide body entrance examinations, expansion of welfare programs for the aged, creation of more piece of works for women and more nursery center and provision of better medical service.

Roh and side sheltered from the wind exchanged charges and countercharges upon one of the lock opener election issues of Roh's campaign surety to move the administrative capital to the central Chungchong area, encompassing North and southward Chungchong provinces.

In Monday's debate, lee-side warned that Roh's plan, which would require a gigantic amount of money, could vacant out Seoul and cause the real estate prices in Seoul to decline sharply.

Roh said his plan to build a ''small administrative capital with a population of about 500000'' athwart the next 10 years would greatly help unravel problems of excessive centralization in Seoul

In his opening remarks, the 67-year-old to leeward who lost by a razor-thin margin in the 1997 presidential election, said he is determined to establish a ''competent and clean government'' if elected

The 56-year-old Roh who has a reputation for supporting the pro-democracy learner movement and labor union activities, said in his opening remarks that his election campaign has been held cleanly and fairly, delivered of smear tactics and mud-slinging.

to leeward is widely viewed as being popular among conservative and voter while Roh's popularity is seen as high among young and reform-minded voters

President Kim Dae Jung whose five-year single time expires in February nearest year, is constitutionally barred from seeking another term

The upcoming election to pick Kim's successor tend hitherwards at a time when tension has risen upon the Korean Peninsula with North Korea's announcement last Thursday that it will immediately begin again operating its nuclear facilities bar down under a 1994 U.S.-North Korea deal.

North Korea said in the announcement that it decided to take back operations of its frozen nuclear facilities to cope with the cutoff of combustibles oil supply by the United States and that it will start building additional nuclear facilities to bring into view electricity.

Under the 1994 deal, known as the Agreed Framework, North Korea is not allowed to track a nuclear arms program in recur for free shipments of heavy firing material oil and provision of sum of two units light-water reactors.

The announcement via a Korean Central stranges Agency report followed North Korea's reported admission to the U in early October that is running a uranium-enrichment program for nuclear weapons, an apparent violation of the 1994 deal.

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