List of political parties in South Korea

This article lists political parties in South Korea.

South Korea has a weakly institutionalized multi-party system,[1][2] characterized by frequent changes in party arrangements. At least one of the many political parties has a chance of gaining power alone.

Current parties

Parties represented in the National Assembly

Party Abbr. Leader Ideology Political position Policy toward North National Assembly Governors
 
DPK Lee Jae-myung Liberalism Centre[3] to centre-left[4] Pro-Sunshine Policy
170 / 300
5 / 17
 
PPP Han Dong-hoon Conservatism Right-wing Anti-North
108 / 300
12 / 17
RKP Cho Kuk Progressivism
Liberalism
Centre-left Pro-Sunshine Policy[5]
12 / 300
0 / 17
NRP Her Eun-a Conservatism[6]
Moderate conservatism
Centre-right[7] N/A
3 / 300
0 / 17
PP Kim Jae-yeon Progressivism Left-wing[a] Strongly pro-Sunshine Policy[10]
3 / 300
0 / 17
BIP Yong Hye-in Universal basic income Single-issue None
1 / 300
0 / 17
SDP Han Chang-min Social democracy Centre-left None
1 / 300
0 / 17
  1. ^ The Progressive Party is often described as "far-left" in South Korea due to its sympathies toward North Korea, opposition to the U.S. military presence in South Korea, and political similarities with the defunct Unified Progressive Party.[8][9] This is due to the party descending from the Minjokhaebang-wing [ko] (National Liberation faction) of progressivism in South Korea, which was described as being left-wing nationalists, reunificationists and anti-American.

Extra-parliamentary parties

Conservative parties

  • Republican Party of South Korea [ko] (공화당)
  • Our Republican Party (우리공화당)
  • Korean National Party (2015) [ko] (한국국민당)
  • Saenuri Party (2017) (새누리당)
  • Hannara Party (2014) [ko] (한나라당)
  • All Citizen's Participatory Party (가가국민참여신당)
  • Gana! The Anti-Communist Party of Korea [ko] (가나반공정당코리아)
  • The Christian Party [ko] (기독당)
  • Korean Independence Party (한국독립당)
  • Every House Public Election Grand Party [ko] (가가호호공명선거대한당)
  • Liberty Democratic Party (South Korea, 2021) [ko] (자유민주당)
  • New Korean Peninsula Party [ko] (신한반도당)
  • Korean People's Party [ko] (대한국민당) [11]
  • People's Grand United Party (국민대통합당)[12]
  • National Solidarity for National Unity [ko] (국민통합연대) [13]
  • Future Korean Peninsula Party [ko] (한반도미래당)
  • Liberal Unification Party (자유통일당)

Centrist (or conservative liberal) parties

  • Hongik Party [ko] (홍익당)
  • Elders' Welfare Party [ko] (노인복지당)
  • Korean Wave Alliance Party [ko] (한류연합당)
  • Party for People's Livelihood (민생당)
  • People's Policy Party [ko] (국민정책당)

Liberal parties

Progressive parties

Single-issue parties

  • Women's Party (여성의당)
  • People's Democracy Party (민중민주당)
  • Garak (party) [ko] (가락당), aimed at eliminating the special privilege of sitting lawmakers not being able to be tried for crimes while serving as lawmaker.
  • Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Party [ko]

Unknown stances, third position, or syncretic parties

  • National Revolutionary Party (국가혁명당)
  • United Korean People's Party [ko] (통일한국당), Samgyun-ist party, where republican and nationalist political thought merge.[14]
  • Towards Tomorrow, Towards the Future [ko] (내일로미래로), an electoral alliance party of 10 minor conservative parties. Formerly known as the Chungcheong's Future Party. (2020–2023)
  • Taegeun (태건당), a pseudo-religious party created on the basis of the religious cult of the Dragon Empire.

Parties in formation

These parties are not legal acting political parties yet, but are in the process of gathering petition signatures to become formal political parties.

Party name Registration date Party leader Petitioning deadline Notes
Small Business Party
소상공인당
18 March 2024 Kim Jae-heum 18 September 2024 A single-issue moderate reformist party for protecting small business owners and the middle class.
Nuclear Nation Party
핵나라당
14 May 2024 Jeong Hui-won 14 November 2024 A Hitlerite party that has submitted its attempted registration for the 8th time[15]
Every House Public Election's Party
가가호호공명선거당
27 May 2024 Min Hyeong-wook 17 November 2024 Single-issue party meant to reform the election management system.

Defunct parties

Timeline of all mainstream political parties from 1945 to 2014

Conservative parties

Mainstream parties

Minor parties

Liberal parties

Mainstream parties

Minor parties

Progressive parties

Green parties

  • Korea Greens (2004–2008)
  • Let's Go! Environmental Party [ko] (가자환경당; 2020–2024)[f]

Unknown or syncretic parties

  • New Han People's Peninsula Peace Party [ko] (신한반도체제평화당), pan-Korean nationalism and Cheondoism, claims to support the unification of not only the Korean Peninsula, but of lands where Koreans are located in China, Russia, and Japan as well. Merged with Chungcheong's Future Party to create Towards Tomorrow, Towards the Future [ko]. (2021–2023)
  • Functional Self-Employment Party [ko] (직능자영업당), (single-issue) merged into Towards Tomorrow, Towards the Future [ko]. (2020–2024)
  • Small and Medium-sized Businesses and Self-employed Peoples' Party [ko] (중소자영업당) (2020–2024)[g]

Banned political movements

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Has elected local city councilors around the country.
  2. ^ Disbanded 24 March 2024 after not registering candidates for the 2024 Parliament election
  3. ^ Self-dissolved after coming second-to-last in the 2024 South Korean legislative election
  4. ^ an unregistered left-wing to far-left political party. It is unable to register due to a ban on openly socialist or communist parties under the National Security Act.
  5. ^ Dissolved by the National Elections Commission in 2024 for not participating in an election for 4 years
  6. ^ Dissolved by the National Elections Commission in 2024 for not participating in an election for 4 years
  7. ^ Dissolved by the National Elections Commission in 2024 for not participating in an election for 4 years

References

  1. ^ Wong, Joseph (2015). "South Korea's Weakly Institutionalized Party System". Party System Institutionalization in Asia: Democracies, Autocracies, and the Shadows of the Past. Cambridge University Press. pp. 260–279.
  2. ^ Wong, Joseph (2012). "Transitioning from a dominant party system to multi-party system: The case of South Korea". Friend or Foe? Dominant Party Systems in Southern Africa: Insights from the Developing World. United Nations University Press. pp. 68–84.
  3. ^ The Democratic Party of Korea is described as a centrist party by numerous sources:
  4. ^
  5. ^ 조국혁신당. rebuildingkoreaparty.kr/. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  6. ^ ""KIM OVERSEES MISSILE TEST"". Korean Broadcasting System. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  7. ^ "South Korea opposition parties expand Assembly dominance". Asia News Network. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Female prosecutor opens up about sexual harassment". koreaherald. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2020. "Members of the far-left minor opposition Minjung Party protest, demanding the Prosecution's apology and an investigation into a female prosecutor's sexual harassment allegations, in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seoul on Tuesday."
  9. ^ 원성훈 (26 January 2020). "[4·15 총선 앗싸①] '극좌'에서 '극우'까지 ... '배당금黨'에 '결혼당'도 출현" [[April 15 general elections] From 'far left' to 'far right' ... 'Dividend Party' and 'Marriage Party' have also emerged.]. 뉴스웍스.
  10. ^ "[보도자료] 김재연 후보, 유엔 총회 앞두고 "남북교류협력 가로막는 대북제재 해제하라"". Progressive Party.
  11. ^ 중앙당 등록공고(대한국민당).
  12. ^ 국민대통합당. pgup.or.kr.
  13. ^ 공고 | 위원회소식 | 알림마당 | 중앙선거관리위원회.
  14. ^ 중앙당 등록공고(통일한국당).
  15. ^ 공고 | 위원회소식 | 알림마당 | 중앙선거관리위원회.
  16. ^ '새로운물결' 창당 선언한 김동연 "별칭은 '오징어당'…정치 바꾸겠다". ChosunBiz. October 24, 2021.
  17. ^ 국민의힘, 시대전환 흡수 합당…조정훈 합류로 112석.
  18. ^ Yonhap News Agency, December 19, 2014, [1], "...South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the dissolution of a pro-North Korean minor opposition party..."
  19. ^ '노동당·사회변혁노동자당' 통합정당 2월5일 출범 < 정당 < 정치ㆍ경제 < 기사본문 - 매일노동뉴스. 18 January 2022.

Bibliography