On the 8th, Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, and Han Duck-soo, an independent preliminary candidate, met again after the previous day. Since there was a clear difference in their positions regarding the timing of unification and the negotiations did not show progress, the parties involved initiated a second round of talks.
The second meeting between the two candidates was held in an unexpected location and manner. They decided to make the entire meeting public at a cafe in the National Assembly. This was arranged after Kim proposed it and Han's side accepted. Before the meeting, Kim explained his intention in a KBS interview, saying, "If done privately, things could change repeatedly. If we show everything vividly, then there would be no need for separate explanations. Therefore, I thought making it public would help reduce misunderstandings in the unification process and enable a smooth unification to enhance synergy."
During the first meeting the day before, Han had arrived early at the rendezvous point and waited, but on this day, Kim arrived first to greet Han. The meeting started promptly at 4:30 p.m.
From the beginning, both candidates engaged in a tense psychological battle. Han was the first to speak. He shared the sentiments for unification expressed during his earlier visit to Daegu, stating, "The public knows that Kim has stated he would unify with Han Duck-soo twenty-two times during the eighteen days from April 19 to May 6." He further said, "If we fail to achieve it properly, to be honest, both the candidate and I will be gone, as they say. Additionally, I want to suggest not to be too bound by the thoughts of advisors, as we are people working for the country, so let's give it a try."
Han also remarked about Kim's proposal for a unification roadmap involving a 'debate on the 14th and a public opinion poll on the 15th and 16th,' saying, "Suggesting to do it a week later is the same as suggesting not to do it at all. Let's settle this today or tomorrow. Why can't we?"
Kim countered, "If you have made a decision to run, it makes sense to join the People Power Party. But then why did you stay outside?"
Han explained that he was excluded from acting presidential duties for 87 days due to the Democratic Party of Korea's impeachment motion being passed, which he prioritized addressing.
He said, "I couldn't even get a call with President Trump, and I couldn't decide how to handle the looming tariff crisis. I thought it was disrespectful to the public to irresponsibly shake that off and prioritize the presidential election." He added, "I worked hard with the ministries to arrange a structure to communicate with President Trump, decide on what to discuss, and create a plan for what to do moving forward, and I resigned on May 1st." He also mentioned, "The question of why I didn't join is really a trivial issue."
Meanwhile, even before the start of the public meeting that day, about 50 supporters from both sides gathered at the promised location, and some supporters shouted slogans like "Resign!" directed at the opposing candidate.