The two front-running South Korean presidential candidates expressed opposition to possible U.S. preemptive strikes against North Korea during a TV debate on Thursday night in Seoul.

Five South Korean presidential hopefuls attended the two and a half hour televised debate, including Moon Jae-in of the Minjoo (Democratic) Party of Korea and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, the two candidates most likely to win the presidency.

The candidates were first asked how they would respond if the U.S. launches a  military strike against the DPRK.

Moon – who is leading the polls ahead of the May 9 election – said