People Power Party(PPP) presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo and independent preliminary candidate Han Duck-soo's talks on Thursday to merge their candidacy for the conservative bloc fell through after just one hour.

Kim and Han started the second round of discussions at 4:30 p.m. following the first held Wednesday, in a bid to form a unified candidate for the June 3 presidential election. This time, the two sides agreed in advance to open the talks to the public in its entirety.

Former Prime Minister Han reiterated a call to unify by Sunday, the final day of candidate registration, as opposed to Kim who said the merger should be completed by next week.

Han reminded Kim that he had promised on the merger 22 times during the party’s primary, stressing that unity is an order from the public and that he is prepared to accept any means put forth by the party to achieve it.

Kim, for his part, said he has always considered the merger and not once refused it, but that Han should have joined the party before declaring his bid for the presidency.

While Kim accused Han of "taking the easy way out" through a post-primary walkover, the latter said he had to deal with U.S. tariffs during the primary as then-acting president and that he intends to join the party following the merger.