DP candidate Lee vows to increase age bracket for childcare subsidies; Fmr. PM Han suggests meeting with PPP candidate Kim

With less than a month to go until the presidential election, Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung is spending the long weekend meeting voters across the country.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo proposed a meeting with the People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo amid expectations of unifying their candidacies.

Our correspondent Shin Ha-young reports.

The presidential race between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party is starting to take shape.

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung began his Monday schedule by attending the Buddha's Birthday ceremony.

Lee wrote on social media that Buddhist culture is a key part of Korean tradition and pledged to reduce the financial burden of restoring traditional temples.

For Children's Day, Lee promised to gradually expand the age limit for childcare subsidies from the current cap of under eight to under 18.

Lee continued his tour across the country to hear from voters, visiting parts of Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongbuk-do provinces on Monday.

Following the Supreme Court's decision on Lee's election law violation case, the DP urged Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae to postpone all court hearings involving presidential candidates until after the June 3 presidential election.

The party, which decided on Sunday to delay a decision on whether to try to impeach Cho, warned it may take strong action if the request is ignored.

The DP also called on the high court to cancel or postpone the first hearing of Lee's retrial, scheduled for May 15.

Meanwhile, talks are gearing up between the People Power Party's Kim Moon-soo and former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo about a possible coalition in the presidential race.

Kim and Han met for the first time on Monday, since Kim was nominated as the PPP's presidential candidate, during a visit to Jogyesa temple to mark Buddha's Birthday.

Han suggested they meet later in the day.

Kim's side confirmed their encounter but said they only discussed meeting "soon" without going into any details.

On Sunday, the PPP decided to establish a body under its election committee to explore merging its campaign with Han's.

An official from Han's camp confirmed that Han, who announced his candidacy last Friday, is willing to leave all coalition logistics --including rules and procedures --to the PPP.

All eyes are on whether the two will merge their campaigns before the candidate registration deadline this Sunday.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.