The main opposition People Power Party’s(PPP) candidate for Seoul mayor, Oh Se-hoon, and the People’s Party candidate, Ahn Cheol-soo, have opened discussions on fielding a single opposition candidate ahead of the by-election next month. 

The two confirmed on Monday in radio interviews and to reporters that they had met the night before to discuss overarching principles and timing for the matter. They said their initial talks - which ran for about 90 minutes over beer - was candid and productive.

Ahn and Oh said they agreed on the need to field a unified candidate and that it would be desirable to do so before the candidate registration period expires. 

Their remarks suggest that they will aim to conclude negotiations on fielding a single candidate by next Wednesday as candidate registration will take place on Thursday and Friday of next week. 

To this end, Oh and Ahn plan to form a negotiation team consisting of three officials from each candidate’s party.