List of political parties in South Korea explained

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				Leader	Ideology	Political position	Policy toward North	National Assembly	Governors
			DPK	Lee Jae-myung	Liberalism	Centre^[3] to
			PPP	Han Dong-hoon	Conservatism	Right-wing	Anti-North
			RKP	Cho Kuk	Progressivism Liberalism Reformism	Centre-left	Pro-Sunshine Policy^[4]
			NRP	Lee Jun-seok	Conservatism^[5]		N/A
			PP	Kim Jae-yeon	Progressivism	Left-wing
			BIP	Yong Hye-in	Universal basic income	Single-issue	None
			SDP	Han Chang-min	Social democracy	Centre-left	None

Extra-parliamentary parties

Conservative parties

See main article: Conservatism in South Korea.

• Our Republican Party
• Saenuri Party (2017)
• All Citizen's Participatory Party
• Korean Independence Party
• ^[6]
• People's Grand United Party ^[7]
• ^[8]

Centrist (or conservative liberal) parties

• Party for People's Livelihood

Liberal parties

See main article: Liberalism in South Korea.

• Open Democratic Party, a recreation of the now-dissolved Open Democratic Party, which merged with the Democratic Party on 12 January 2022.
• Pine Tree Party
• New Future Party

Progressive parties

• Labor Party
• Justice Party
• Green Party
• Our Future
• Social Democratic Party

Single-issue parties

• Women's Party
• People's Democracy Party
• , aimed at eliminating the special privilege of sitting lawmakers not being able to be tried for crimes while serving as lawmaker.

Unknown stances, third position, or syncretic parties

• National Revolutionary Party
• , Samgyun-ist party, where republican and nationalist political thought merge.^[9]
• , an electoral alliance party

of 10 minor conservative parties. Formerly known as the Chungcheong's Future Party. (2020–2023)

• Taegon Party, a pseudo-religious party created from the Dragon Empire religious cult.

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		Party leader	Petitioning deadline	Notes
nowrap	Small Business Party 소상공인당	nowrap	18 March 2024	nowrap	Kim Jae-heum	nowrap	18 September 2024	A single-issue moderate reformist party for protecting small business owners and the middle class.
nowrap	Nuclear Nation Party 핵나라당	nowrap	14 May 2024	nowrap	Jeong Hui-won	nowrap	14 November 2024	A Hitlerite party that has submitted its attempted registration for the 8th time^[10]
nowrap	Every House Public Election's Party 가가호호공명선거당	nowrap	27 May 2024	nowrap	Min Hyeong-wook	nowrap	17 November 2024	Single-issue party meant to reform the election management system.

Banned parties

Communist and Juche parties

• Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front (반제민족민주전선)
• General Association of Korean Residents in Japan "Chongryon" (총련)
• South Korean National Liberation Front Preparation Committee (남조선민족해방전선준비위원회)
• Workers' Party of Korea (조선로동당)

Social Democratic and progressive parties

• Korean Social Democratic Party (조선사회민주당)
• Unified Progressive Party (통합진보당)
• United Socialist Party of Korea (통일사회당)

Other

• New Democratic Party (신민당)

Defunct parties

Conservative parties

See main article: Conservatism in South Korea.

Mainstream parties

• National Alliance for the Rapid Realization of Korean Independence (1946–1951)
• Liberal Party (1951–1960)
• Democratic Republican Party (1963–1980)
• Democratic Justice Party (1981–1990)
• Democratic Liberal Party → New Korea Party (1990–1997)
• Hannara Party → Saenuri Party → Liberty Korea Party (1997–2020)
• People's Future Party, A satellite party of the ruling People Power. (2024)

Minor parties

• Korean Resistance Party (1945–1950)
• Federation Korean National Independence (1947–1951)
• Korea National Party (1947–1958)
• Korean National Party → New Democratic Republican Party (1981–1990)
• United People's Party → Democratic Party (1992–1995)
• United Liberal Democrats (1995–2006)
• People First Party (2005–2008)
• Liberty Forward Party → Advancement Unification Party (2008–2012)
• Pro-Park Coalition → Future Hope Alliance (2008–2012)
• Hannara Party (2012)
• Evergreen Korea Party (2017–2018)
• Grand National United Party (2017–2018)
• Bareun Party (2017–2018)
• Bareunmirae Party (2018–2020)
• New Conservative Party (2020)
• Republican Party (2014–2020), merged with Christian Liberal Unification Party to form National Revolutionary Party .
• (2021)
• Free Korea 21 (2016–2021), formerly Korea Economic Party, merged with .
• Ahn Cheol-soo's People's Party (2020–2022), merged with the People Power.
• Pro-Park Coalition (2012–2022)
• (2016–2022)
• (2020–2024)
• (2021–2024)
• Dawn of Liberty (2019–2024)
• Pro-Park New Party (2020–2024), merged with the People Power Party.

Liberal parties

See main article: Liberalism in South Korea.

Mainstream parties

• Korea Democratic Party → Democratic National Party (1945–1955)
• Democratic Party (1955–1961)
• Civil Rule Party (1963–1965)
• People's Party → New Democratic Party (1965–1980)
• Democratic Korea Party (1981–1988)
• New Korea and Democratic Party (1984–1988)
• Reunification Democratic Party (1987–1990)
• Peace Democratic Party (1987–1991)
• Democratic Party (1991–1995)
• National Congress for New Politics (1995–2000)
• Millennium Democratic Party → Democratic Party (2000–2008)
• Uri Party (2002–2007)
• Grand Unified Democratic New Party (2007–2008)
• United Democratic Party → Democratic Party (2008–2011)
• Democratic United Party → Democratic Party (2011–2014)

Minor parties

• Democratic Party (1963–1965)
• Democratic Unification Party (1973–1980)
• Democratic Party (1990–1991)
• Democratic Party (1995–1997)
• The Participation Party (2010–2011)
• New Political Vision Party (2014)
• Democratic Party (2014–2016)
• People's Party (2016–2018)
• Bareunmirae Party (2018–2020)
• Party for Democracy and Peace (2018–2020)
• New Alternatives (2019–2020)
• Future Democratic Party (2020)
• Open Democratic Party (2020–2022)
• Kim Dong-yeon's New Wave - Squid Party (2021–2022)^[11]
• Transition Korea (2020–2023), merged into conservative People Power.^[12]
• Hope of Korea (2023–2024), merged into Lee Jun-seok's New Reform Party.
• (2022–2024)

Progressive parties

See main article: Progressivism in South Korea.

• Preparatory Committee for National Construction → People's Party of Korea → People's Labor Party (1945–1950)
• Socialist Party (1951–1953)
• Progressive Party (1956–1958, banned)
• United Socialist Party of Korea (1961–1967)
• Revolutionary Party for Reunification → National Democratic Front of South Korea → Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front (1969–2005, banned)
• Hankyoreh Democratic Party (1988–1991)
• People's Party (1988)
• Popular Party (1990–1992)
• People's Victory 21 → Democratic Labor Party (1997–2011)
• Youth Progressive Party → Socialist Party → Korea Socialist Party → Socialist Party (1998–2012)
• New Progressive Party (2008–2012)
• Unified Progressive Party (2011–2014, banned)^[13]
• People's United Party (2016–2017)
• New People's Party (2017)
• Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party, merged with Labor Party. (2016–2022)^[14]
• (2020–2024)

Green parties

• Korea Greens (2004–2008)
• (; 2020–2024)

Unknown or syncretic parties

• , 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 . (2021–2023)
• , (single-issue) merged into . (2020–2024)
• (2020–2024)

See also

• List of ruling political parties by country
• Politics of South Korea
• Conservatism in South Korea
• Liberalism in South Korea
• Progressivism in South Korea

References

Bibliography

• The present state of registered political parties, National Election Commission of S. Korea.
• The present state of political parties registration, National Election Commission of S. Korea, May 29, 2008.

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: Wong. Joseph. South Korea's Weakly Institutionalized Party System. Party System Institutionalization in Asia: Democracies, Autocracies, and the Shadows of the Past. 2015. Cambridge University Press. 260–279.
2. Encyclopedia: Wong. Joseph. 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. 2012. United Nations University Press. 68–84.
3. The Democratic Party of Korea is described as a centrist party by numerous sources:
4. Web site: ko:조국혁신당 . https://www.xn--3e0b68h6spymf.kr/ . 2024-03-09 . rebuildingkoreaparty.kr/.
5. News: 29 January 2024 . "KIM OVERSEES MISSILE TEST" . . 2 February 2024.
6. Web site: https://nec.go.kr/site/nec/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=1086&bcIdx=145908. ko:중앙당 등록공고(대한국민당).
7. Web site: http://pgup.or.kr/ . ko:국민대통합당 . pgup.or.kr.
8. Web site: https://nec.go.kr/site/nec/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=1086&bcIdx=192267 . ko:공고 | 위원회소식 | 알림마당 | 중앙선거관리위원회 .
9. Web site: https://nec.go.kr/site/nec/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=1086&bcIdx=145907. ko:중앙당 등록공고(통일한국당).
10. Web site: https://www.nec.go.kr/site/nec/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=1086&bcIdx=189796 . ko:공고 | 위원회소식 | 알림마당 | 중앙선거관리위원회 .
11. Web site: https://biz.chosun.com/policy/politics/2021/10/24/VNTWA4Y7YVE7RJD7P42ABZIT2M/. ko:'새로운물결' 창당 선언한 김동연 "별칭은 '오징어당'…정치 바꾸겠다". October 24, 2021. ChosunBiz.
12. Web site: https://news.nate.com/view/20231109n35072 . ko:국민의힘, 시대전환 흡수 합당…조정훈 합류로 112석 .
13. Yonhap News Agency, December 19, 2014, http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2014/12/19/21/0301000000AEN20141219001752315F.html, "...South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the dissolution of a pro-North Korean minor opposition party..."
14. Web site: https://www.labortoday.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=207010 . ko:'노동당·사회변혁노동자당' 통합정당 2월5일 출범 < 정당 < 정치ㆍ경제 < 기사본문 - 매일노동뉴스. 18 January 2022 .