​The presidential nominees of the two largest political parties met for the first time since their respective candidacies were confirmed at the 2021 Global HR Forum in Seoul on Wednesday. 

The Justice Party's presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung also attended the forum. 

In an opening address, Democratic Party(DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung reiterated he'd like to meet with his rival Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party(PPP) one-on-one, suggesting that they hold talks on politics and government policies. 

Separately in a KBS radio appearance, Yoon's chief of staff Kweon Seong-dong rejected the idea as a trick meant to draw attention away from the Seongnam land development scandal which unfolded under Lee's mayorship.

At a debate hosted by the Kwanhun Club later in the day, Lee said he is open to launching a special counsel probe into the allegations if there are insufficiencies in the prosecution's ongoing investigation.

Lee, however, also called for a special counsel probe into allegations that Yoon overlooked alleged corruption in the early stages of the project when he was the top prosecutor.

Meanwhile, Yoon, who faced backlash after remarks that seemed to defend former President Chun Doo-hwan and his brutal crackdown on the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising, plans to pay his respects at the May 18 National Cemetery later in the day.