Cheon Jun-ho, chief of staff to Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, speaks to reporters at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday, after holding talks with the presidential office for a meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and DPK Chairman Lee. Yonhap

The presidential office and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) blamed each other, Thursday, following failed working-level talks aimed at arranging an official meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung.

After the ruling People Power Party's defeat in the April 10 general elections, Yoon extended an invitation to Lee for an official meeting to be held within this week if feasible. However, the two sides are already displaying stark differences in their preparations for the talks, casting a shadow over the likelihood of the meeting occurring within this week.

Senior presidential secretary for political affairs Hong Chul-ho and the DPK chairman's Chief of Staff Cheon Jun-ho reportedly met for the second time to arrange the Yoon-Lee meeting. However, they failed to address crucial issues, such as the timing of the meeting and the agenda to be discussed by their respective leaders, according to statements from the presidential office and the DPK. This setback follows their inability to bridge their differences during their first meeting on Tuesday.

Cheon told reporters that "the presidential office did not give answers to the topics we proposed." He added, "There could have been an outcome if they had voiced their opinions on our topics, but unfortunately, they did not."

While Cheon did not specify the topics proposed by the DPK, reports indicated that the main opposition party urged the president during their initial meeting to fulfill Lee's election promise of providing a 250,000 won subsidy for every Korean, accept a special counsel probe into the death of a Marine, and apologize for vetoing several bills endorsed by the DPK.

"The public sentiment shown in the general elections (on April 10) tells Yoon to reform his way of handling state affairs," Cheon said. "The presidential office should strive to meet the public's expectations regarding the meeting."

Senior presidential secretary for political affairs Hong Chul-ho speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday, after holding talks with the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) over a meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung. Yonhap

Minutes later, Hong, the senior secretary, held a separate press briefing at the presidential office and said that he told his counterpart that the meeting should take place as soon as possible with no restrictions on the topics.

"The meeting should be a platform for open discussions on all aspects of governance, including urgent livelihood issues to broader national concerns," Hong said. "President Yoon has expressed his willingness to listen to any topic and Lee has also similarly indicated that he is ready to convey the public's sentiment as it is."

An official at the presidential office said, "The DPK wants to arrange the outcome even before holding the meeting."

"Let's say there are 10 questions. And the DPK wants to hold the meeting after filling in the answers to some of the questions," the official said. "What we think is that Yoon and Lee should talk openly, and based on the results, we will take policy measures or follow-up actions accordingly."

With the presidential office and the DPK at odds with each other, the prospects for the meeting between Yoon and Lee to occur within this week seem bleak. Secretaries from both sides admitted to their failure in scheduling a date for a third round of negotiations.