Democratic Party leadership candidates Kim Min-seok and Jung Chung-rae traded blame over the launch of single-stock leveraged ETFs after losses for retail investors, as the fallout also slows South Korea's broader push to expand ETF and derivatives products. At a televised debate at SBS in Mok-dong, Seoul, on Aug. 12, Kim said he chaired the Cabinet meeting that approved the products because the president was on an overseas trip, apologized to the public, and said the government would keep monitoring the issue while arguing that an immediate trading halt would have caused greater confusion. Jung said many retail investors were badly hurt, pointed to an April 21 Cabinet bill listing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok as submitter, and said strong action is needed if anyone should be held accountable. As of Aug. 13, discussions on fully active ETFs and broader weekly option expiries for Kospi 200 and Kosdaq 150 had effectively lost momentum as regulators focused on follow-up measures after the leveraged product launch intensified market volatility.