On May 5th, Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate for the People Power Party, and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attended the ‘Celebration Ceremony for Buddha’s Birthday’ held at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. During the event, Han proposed to Kim that they should meet at any time and place of Kim’s choosing on the same day. However, Kim’s side later clarified that while there were cordial exchanges about ‘meeting again soon,’ no such proposal was formally made.
Earlier, the People’s Power Party had announced the establishment of a ‘unification promotion body’ to advance the unification of candidates. Prior to this, on May 3rd, Han’s side had expressed willingness to leave the method and timing of unification in the hands of the People Power Party.
There seems to be a significant difference in tone between the two camps regarding Han’s proposal. Han’s side actively communicated the proposal to the media, while Kim’s side described the encounter as a brief meeting with no substantial proposals being made. Kim’s chief of staff, Kim Jae-won, confirmed that the interaction was not an official proposal, kindling a tense atmosphere between Han’s push for rapid unification and Kim’s more resistant stance.