Seoul: Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced on Monday that he has proposed a meeting with the People Power Party's (PPP) presidential candidate, Kim Moon-soo, amid growing expectations of unifying their candidacies for the upcoming June 3 election. Han revealed that he made the proposal for a meeting later in the day after briefly speaking with Kim during a Buddha's Birthday ceremony at Jogye Temple in central Seoul.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Han mentioned that he had the opportunity to speak with Kim on three occasions, although Kim did not give a definite answer but responded with something akin to "yes." This proposal comes amid calls for a merger among presidential candidates within the conservative bloc to potentially defeat Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung, who is currently leading in opinion polls.

Kim Moon-soo, a former Labor Minister, won the PPP's presidential nomination on Saturday following the ousting of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. In response to Han's proposal, Kim stated that he listened to Han at the event but did not address questions regarding efforts to unify candidacies with Han. Kim's team acknowledged their encounter but noted that they merely discussed meeting "soon" without further elaboration, suggesting that the process of fielding a single candidate may face challenges.

Han, who announced his presidential bid on Friday, is viewed as a strong contender among conservatives to challenge the DP's Lee Jae-myung. In support of potential unification, the PPP announced on Sunday the formation of an organization aimed at merging the candidacies of Kim and Han. Han's team indicated that they would allow the PPP to determine the terms of any merger.

According to a Realmeter survey released on Monday, 30 percent of respondents favored Han as the most suitable single candidate for the conservative bloc, compared to the 21.9 percent who supported Kim.