Minor presidential candidate again files for injunction against 4-way TV debate excluding him

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- A minor presidential candidate again filed for a court injunction Thursday, seeking to stop TV stations from airing a four-way presidential debate that excludes him.

Huh Kyung-young of the National Revolutionary Party, which holds no parliamentary seat, filed for the injunction with the Seoul Western District Court, only six days after the same court dismissed his previous injunction request with the same purpose.

The country's three mainstream broadcasters -- MBC, KBS and SBS -- are scheduled to broadcast live the first televised debate involving the presidential candidates of the four biggest political parties, later in the day.

Dismissing Huh's previous injunction request, the court said that excluding Huh in the debate is justifiable as "reasonable discrimination" in the broadcasters' efforts to better inform voters and invigorate the debate.

Filing for his second injunction against the TV debate earlier in the day, Huh claimed his exclusion from the event constitutes "persecution" by the ruling and main opposition parties.

The injunction request, however, is expected to have little influence in the proceeding of the TV debate as no court hearing on the case is expected to be scheduled before the debate's airing.

The four-way debate will involve Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party, Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party, Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party and Sim Sang-jeung of the progressive Justice Party.

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