Liberalism in South Korea

This article gives an overview of liberalism in South Korea. It is limited to liberal democratic parties with substantial support, mainly proven by having had a representation in parliament.

Introduction

Note: the word liberal in South Korea is often used by conservative groupings (See New Right in South Korea), in the European fashion. Liberal parties (in the American sense of the term) tend to label themselves as "Democratic" or "Progressive" instead.

There has been a tradition of liberal parties since 1955, often organized around persons. Presently the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the Unified Progressive Party, the Justice Party and the Labor Party are the main successors of the liberal parties' tradition

"Liberal" movements in Korea also differ markedly from liberal movements elsewhere by strongly emphasizing patriotism and ethnic nationalism (especially with regard to Korean reunification) instead of "civic," or "liberal nationalism", a characteristic shared with North Korea.[1][2][3][4][5][6] This emphasis in "Liberalism" is closely associated with Pro-North Korea sentiments in the political sphere along with anti-American ideology.[7] In this critical respect "liberalism" in South Korea bears very little resemblance to "liberalism" as it is understood elsewhere in the world.

Timeline

N.B.: The sign ⇒ means a reference to another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it is not required for parties to label themselves as a "liberal party."

Christian Social Democratic Party to Korea Democratic Party

Democratic National Party

Democratic Party (1955)

Civil Rule Party

Democratic Party (1963)

New Democratic Korea Party

New Korean Democratic Party

Reunification Democratic Party

Party for Peace and Democracy to Democratic Party (1991)

Democratic Party (1990)

Democratic Party (1995)

National Congress for New Politics (1995)

Millennium Democratic Party to Democratic Party (2000)

Uri Party (2003)

Democratic Party (2007) to Centrist Reformists Democratic Party

United New Democratic Party (2007)

United Democratic Party to Democratic Party (2008)

On 17 February 2008, the UNDP merged with the Democratic Party (민주당), forming the United Democratic Party (통합민주당). This was four years after the Uri Party (열린우리당)'s split from Millennium Democratic Party (새천년민주당).[8] On July 2008 the party is renamed Democratic Party (2008) (Min-ju Dang).

Democratic United Party to Democratic Party (2011)

In December 16, 2011, with the unity of Democratic Party, Citizens United Party and cooperation of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, formed Democratic United Party. In 2013 the party is renamed Democratic Party (민주당), while changed its official color from green to blue, the first time in 60 years.

New Politics Alliance for Democracy to The Minjoo Party of Korea

On 26 March 2014, the Democratic Party (2011) merged with New Political Vision Party (새정치연합), forming the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (Saejeongchi Minju Yeonhap, 새정치민주연합). In 2015 the party is renamed The Minjoo Party of Korea (더불어민주당).

Liberal presidents in South Korea

Major liberal parties election results of South Korea

Presidential elections

Election Candidate Total votes Share of votes Outcome Party Name
1952 Yi Si-yeong 764,715 10.9% Lost Red X Democratic National Party
1956 Shin Ik-hee 0 0.0% died before election Democratic Party (1955)
March 1960 Chough Pyung-ok 0 (electoral vote) 0.0% died before election Democratic Party (1955)
August 1960 Yun Bo-seon 208 (electoral vote) 82.2% Elected Green tick Democratic Party (1955)
1963 Yun Bo-seon 4,546,614 45.1% Lost Red X Civil Rule Party
1967 Yun Bo-seon 4,526,541 40.9% Lost Red X New Democratic Party
1971 Kim Dae-jung 5,395,900 45.3% Lost Red X New Democratic Party
1981 Yu Chi-song 404 7.7% Lost Red X Democratic Korea Party
1987 Kim Dae-jung 6,113,375 27.0% Lost Red X Party for Peace and Democracy
1992 Kim Dae-jung 8,041,284 33.8% Lost Red X Democratic Party (1991)
1997 Kim Dae-jung
Lee In-je
10,326,275
4,925,591
40.3%
19.2%
Elected Green tick
Lost Red X
National Congress for New Politics
New People Party
2002 Roh Moo-hyun 12,014,277 48.9% Elected Green tick Millennium Democratic Party
2007 Chung Dong-young
Lee In-je
6,174,681
160,708
26.1%
0.7%
Lost Red X
Lost Red X
United New Democratic Party
Centrist Reformists Democratic Party
2012 Moon Jae-in 14,692,632 48.0% Lost Red X Democratic United Party

Legislative elections

Election Total seats won Total votes Share of votes Outcome of election Election leader Party Name
1948
29 / 200
916,322 13.5% new 29 seats; Minority Kim Seong-su Korea Democratic Party
1950
24 / 210
683,910 9.8% new 24 seats; Minority Shin Ik-hee Democratic National Party
1954
15 / 203
593,499 7.9% Increase29 seats; Minority Shin Ik-hee Democratic National Party
1958
79 / 233
2,914,049 34.0% new 79 seats; Minority Chough Pyung-ok Democratic Party (1955)
1960
175 / 233
3,786,401 41.7% Increase96 seats; Majority Chough Pyung-ok Democratic Party (1955)
1963
41 / 175
14 / 175
1,870,976

1,264,285
20.1%

13.6%
new 41 seats; Minority

new 14 seats; Minority
Yun Bo-seon

Park Soon-cheon
Civil Rule Party

Democratic Party (1963)
1967
45 / 175
3,554,224 32.7% new 45 seats; Minority Yu Jin-o New Democratic Party
1971
89 / 204
4,969,050 44.4% Increase44 seats; Minority Kim Hong-il New Democratic Party
1973
52 / 219
3,577,300 32.5% Decrease37 seats; Minority Yu Chin-san New Democratic Party
1978
61 / 231
4,861,204 32.8% Increase9 seats; Minority Yi Cheol-seung New Democratic Party
1981
81 / 276
3,495,829 21.6% new 81 seats; Minority Lee Man-sup Democratic Korea Party
1988
70 / 299
3,783,279 19.3% new 70 seats; in Coalition (PPD-DRP-NDRP) Lee Min-woo Party for Peace and Democracy
1992
97 / 299
6,004,577 29.2% new 97 seats; Minority Kim Dae-jung Democratic Party (1991)
1996
79 / 299
4,971,961 25.3% new 79 seats; in Coalition (NCNP-ULD-Democrats) Kim Dae-jung National Congress for New Politics
2000
115 / 299
6,780,625 35.9% new 115 seats; in Coalition (MDP-ULD-DPP) Kim Dae-jung Millennium Democratic Party
2004
152 / 299
9 / 299
8,145,824

1,510,178
38.3%

7.1%
new 152 seats; Majority

Decrease53 seats; Minority
Chung Dong-young

Choug Soon-hyung
Uri Party

Millennium Democratic Party
2008
81 / 299
4,313,111 25.1% new 81 seats; Minority Son Hak-gyu United Democratic Party
2012
127 / 300
7,777,123 36.5% new 127 seats; Minority Han Myeong-sook Democratic United Party

Local elections

Election Metropolitan mayor/Governor Provincial legislature Municipal mayor Municipal legislature Party Name
1995
4 / 15
353 / 875
84 / 230
Democratic Party (1991)
1998
6 / 16
0 / 16
271 / 616
0 / 616
84 / 232
1 / 232
National Congress for New Politics

New People Party
2002
1 / 16
33 / 682
16 / 227
Millennium Democratic Party
2006
1 / 16
2 / 16
52 / 733
80 / 733
19 / 230
20 / 230
630 / 2,888
276 / 2,888
Uri Party

Democratic Party (2005)
2010
7 / 16
360 / 761
92 / 228
1,025 / 2,888
Democratic Party (2008)
2014
9 / 17
349 / 789
80 / 226
1,157 / 2,898
New Politics Alliance for Democracy

See also

References

  1. “세계화 시대, 개인주의로 가는 포스트 386 주목”
  2. Distorting Nation - Hankyoreh Reporter Go Meong-seop endorses "peace and reunification-oriented ethnic nationalism" over "anti-communist and 'divided' state-based nationalism"
  3. Juche: Idea for All Times: "If we have a more careful look through the 1955 speech and other early references to Juche we will see that this was what Kim Il Song meant: not a coherent ideology, not even the idea of "self-reliance," but rather the need to emphasize one's national identity as a Korean, a need to see Korea's national interests as the top priority."
  4. Reformed Socialist’ Professor Skewers Anachronistic Korean Left - Former leftist student activist Shin Ji-Ho notes the political "primacy on race and reunification" on the part of his former comrades
  5. Why Korea Should Embrace Multi-Culturalism
  6. Amid the anti-dictatorship democratization movement, the leftists of the South were divided, fighting each other over whether they should follow the North’s ideology or not... The concept of “blood is thicker than water” intervened, and the leftists soon became uncomfortable whenever the North was mentioned.
  7. http://www.dailynk.com/korean/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=84061
  8. 통합민주당 공식 출범, the Hankyoreh, Retrieved on 5 March 2008
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