The Democratic Party (DPK; Korean: 더불어민주당, lit.'Together Democratic Party'), formerly known as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD; 새정치민주연합), is a centrist-liberal[10]South Korean political party. The DPK and its rival, the People Power Party (PPP), form the two major political parties of South Korea.
The NPAD was founded on 26 March 2014 out of a merger between the Democratic Party and the preparatory committee of the New Political Vision Party (NPVP) led by Ahn Cheol-soo. The party changed its name to the Democratic Party on 28 December 2015. In 2022, the Democratic Party, the Open Democratic Party,[11] and New Wave[12] merged to form a big tent party.[13][14]
History
Formation and Ahn–Kim leadership (March – July 2014)
On 26 March 2014, the New Politics Alliance for Democracy[15] was founded after an independent group led by Ahn Cheol-soo, in the process of forming the New Political Vision Party, merged with the Democratic Party led by Kim Han-gil. As a result, the former Democratic Party was absorbed into the NPAD and the preparatory committee of the NPVP was dissolved. Ahn and Kim jointly assumed leadership of the party as co-leaders.[16] When the party performed poorly in by-elections that July, both leaders stepped down. The leadership of the party was then assumed by an emergency committee.[17]
Ahn–Moon split (2015 – 16)
On 7 February 2015, a party convention elected Moon Jae-in as the new leader of the party.[18] Moon, who had previously served as chief of staff for former president Roh Moo-hyun,[18] was the leader of the party's "pro-Roh" faction, opposed to Ahn and Kim. Moon came under fire for imposing a "pro-Roh hegemony" in the party, as Ahn and Kim were jeered and harassed at a memorial service for Roh held in May 2015.[19]
As the factional conflict intensified, the party lost support, falling from around 40 to 30 percent in opinion polls.[20] A survey conducted on 12–14 November 2015, showed that supporters of the party wanted Ahn and Seoul mayor Park Won-soon to assume the leadership alongside Moon.[21] On 29 November, Ahn rejected a proposal from Moon to establish joint leadership[22] and presented Moon with a demand to call a convention to elect a new party leader. Moon rejected his demand,[23] and Ahn left the party.[24]
Ahn was followed by a number of NPAD assembly members, including his former co-leader Kim Han-gil[25][26] and Kwon Rho-kap, a former aide of President Kim Dae-jung from the party's stronghold of Honam.[27] Ahn and Kim merged their groups with that of another defector from the NPAD, Chun Jung-bae, to form the People Party.[28]
Following the defections, the NPAD was renamed the Democratic Party on 28 December 2015, and Moon resigned as party leader on 27 January 2016.[29] Subsequently, Kim Chong-in, an academic and former assemblyman who served as an economic advisor to President Park Geun-hye, was appointed party leader.[30][31] Kim was viewed as an unexpected choice, as he had previously worked for the conservative Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo administrations in the 1980s,[32] serving as an assembly member for the ruling Democratic Justice Party and as health and welfare minister.[33]
Under Kim Chong-in (January – August 2016)
Kim Chong-in viewed the pro-Roh Moo-hyun faction and what he considered the extremist wing of the party as responsible for the party's troubles and pledged to diminish their influence.[34]
In the lead-up to the 2016 legislative election, he deselected Lee Hae-chan, who had been Prime Minister under Roh and was now chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, as a candidate.[35] Lee left the party in response.[34] Many of Kim's nominations for the party's list were rejected by the rest of the party leadership, while favored candidates of Moon were ranked near the top of the approved list. Kim offered to resign in March but stayed on as leader after a visit from Moon.[36] Kim stated that he would continue to attempt to change the party's image, saying that the events had shown the party was "still unable to move on from its old ways".[30]
2016 legislative election
Though losing votes to the People's Party formed by Ahn, Chun, and Kim Han-gil—particularly in Honam[20]—the party emerged as the overall winner of the election, receiving a plurality of seats (123 seats) in the National Assembly with a margin of one seat over the Saenuri Party. Lee Hae-chan returned to the Assembly as an independent, representing Sejong City. Following its electoral victory, Kim announced that the Democratic Party would shift its focus from welfare to economic growth and structural reform. Kim stated that the party would also change its position to support the establishment of for-profit hospitals, in contrast to the party's earlier opposition to the policy.[37]
On 15 April 2020, the Democratic Party and its allies won an absolute majority with 180 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) won 103 seats.[39]
In October 2021, the Democratic Party nominated Lee Jae-myung as its nominee in the 2022 presidential election over other contenders such as former Democratic Party leaders Lee Nak-yon and Choo Mi-ae. Lee ultimately lost the election with 47.83% of the vote.[42]
After a brief non-captain system, Lee Jae-myung was elected as the party representative with 77.7% of the vote.[43] At the time of his election, Lee had been under investigation by South Korea's Supreme Prosecutor's Office for alleged wrongdoings during his tenure as Mayor of Seongnam. As a result of the investigation, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office issued an arrest warrant for Lee on 16 February 2023 over allegations of corruption and bribery.[44] A motion to arrest the Lee was held in the National Assembly on February 21 but was rejected by a narrow margin.[1] Conflict arose between the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction and anti-Lee Jae-myung faction over the arrest motion.[45] The pro-Lee Jae-myung faction argued that the party leader won nearly 80% of the party's vote and that the party's supporters overwhelmingly support the rejection of the arrest motion. The anti-Lee Jae-myung and moderate faction lawmakers insisted that affairs of the party and individual affairs of the party leader must be separated, arguing that the party's overall approval rating was falling because of the party's representative.[46] A hardline pro-Lee Jae-myung fringe group within the Democratic Party known as the "Gaeddal" (개딸) short for (개혁의 딸들, meaning "daughters of the reformation"), pressured lawmakers who seemed to agree to the motion for Lee Jae-myung's arrest to oppose the motion. Regarding this, party leader Lee Jae-myung requested the Gaeddal refrain from pressuring lawmakers.[47]
Park Kwang-on was elected as the floor leader of the Democratic Party with the support of a majority of lawmakers in the first round of voting. Rep. Park Kwang-on is classified as a member of the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction, often taking a neutral or critical stance against Lee Jae-myung.[48]
Rep. Kim Nam-guk withdrew from the party due to a controversy over possession of virtual currency. Rep. Kim is considered a pro-Lee Jae-myung member and the incident has dealt a blow to the leadership of the party representative.[49]
The party attempted to appoint Lee Rae-kyung, a left-wing nationalist, as the chairperson of the party's Innovation Committee, but withdrew the appointment due to staunch opposition from internal moderates and external opposition. Kim Eun-kyung was instead chosen for the position. She was criticized by moderates in the party for her favorable attitude towards Lee Rae-kyung.[50]
A second motion to arrest the party leader was issued on 22 September, and passed the National Assembly with 149 members voting in favor of Lee Jae-myung's arrest and 136 members opposing it.[52] Initially, it was predicted that the motion for arrest would be rejected but more than 30 members within the Democratic Party agreed to the arrest motion, highlighting the party's intensifying divide between pro and anti-Lee Jae-myung factions.[53] The pro-Lee Jae-myung faction criticized the anti-Lee Jae-myung faction for colluding with prosecutors supportive of the Yoon Seok-yeol government to push ahead with the motion's passage despite most of the party's supporters being opposed to it. Members of the moderate and anti-Lee Jae-myung factions criticized Lee Jae-myung and urged for him to resign as party leader.[54]
A public opinion poll later revealed that 44.6% of respondents agreed with the passage of the arrest motion, while 45.1% of respondents opposed it. When limited to Democratic Party supporters, 83.2% opposed the passage of the arrest motion.[55]
Afterwards, numerous key party officials resigned in order to reorganize the party.[citation needed]
On 23 September 2023, Lee Jae-myung broke his fast that had lasted for 24 days, which he had started to demand a government reforms and the resignation of the entire cabinet.[56]
Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo was elected as the party's new floor leader on 26 September 2023. Hong, belonging to the party's moderate faction won the support of the pro and anti-Lee Jae-myung factions. Other key party positions were won by members of the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, while the anti-Lee Jae-myung remained critical of Lee's leadership.[57]
In October 2023, the Democratic Party won the by-election for the mayor of Gangseo District, Seoul defeating People Power Party candidate Kim Tae-woo. The party's candidate Jin Kyo-hoon was elected with 56.52% of vote, while the People Power Party candidate Kim Tae-woo came in second place with 39.37% of the vote.[58] The party received support from Basic Income Party, Social Democratic Party, and the Minsaeng Party.[59]
On 3 December 2023 Representative Lee Sang-min, who was critical of Lee Jae-myung, left the party citing it increasingly becoming a one-man show dominated by Lee.[60]
During the primary, many people critical of Representative Lee Jae-myung were eliminated, creating controversy. During this process, key party officials who were not nominated left the party. Among them were key figures such as the former floor leader and vice-chairman of the National Assembly. They left the party and joined the New Future Party, led by former leader Lee Nak-yeon, or the People Power Party.[61]
The Democratic Party is primarily described as a centrist party.[62] However, the party is also described as centre-left[63][64] due to it being the main liberal opponent to the conservative People Power Party.
The Democratic Party is evaluated as the mainstream centre-left option in Korea. Due to the nature of South Korea's electoral system, minor parties rarely win seats in elections, leading most progressive voters to vote for the Democratic Party through tactical voting.[65]
For this reason, the Democratic Party is sometimes treated as a "progressive" or "left-leaning" party when compared to the conservative, right-leaning People Power Party. In addition, some conservative-leaning politicians criticize the progressive wing of the Democratic Party by labelling them as "leftist extremists."[66]The Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, and the Dong-A Ilbo (collectively known as Chojoongdong) have also criticized the Democratic Party as being leftist/left-wing.[67] Currently, major politicians of the right-wing People's Power Party also criticize the Democratic Party's policies as "leftist policies that ruin the country" and being "socialist."[68]
However, some researchers argue that the Democratic Party has centre-right policies by international standards.[69] It was evaluated that the Democratic Party is considered progressive within Korea despite not being progressive by international standards because Korea has a more conservative political landscape compared to other industrialized democracies (mainly belonging to OECD).[j] Some researchers have placed the DPK's position on the political spectrum to the right of Christian democracy, saying that the DPK is "more [economically and socially] conservative than the centre-right German Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)" in particular.[72] The Democratic Party's LGBT+ policy is more conservative than CDU.[73] Because of this, some left-leaning researchers have placed the party more right-wing than Western European conservative parties.[74] Also, many members of the Democratic Party, such as Lee Hae-chan, Moon Jae-in, and Lee Jae-myung, define the party's de facto identity as 'true conservative', 'moderate conservative' or 'centre-right'.[75][76] In his book titled 1219 The end is beginning, Moon Jae-in writes, "it is only a backward political reality unique to South Korea that political forces which are centre-right in nature are attacked for being left-wing."[77]
Leadership ideology changes
The ideology of the Democratic Party has gone through changes depending on its leadership. In the party's early days, moderate and conservative-leaning leadership were mainstream, but as a result of progressives and conservatives competing for leadership, the party has gradually moved in a progressive direction.[78]
During the early days of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, co-leaders Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo took a tough stance on relations with North Korea and pursued harmony between selective welfare and universal welfare.[79][further explanation needed] As moderates,[80] they faced criticism from progressives inside the party for being 'center-right', leading some progressive members to withdraw from the party. After the party's defeat in the 2014 South Korean by-elections, Kim and Ahn resigned as party leaders.[81] Kim Han-gil and Ahn Cheol-soo joined the right-wing People Power Party in 2022.[82]
Afterwards, liberals Choo Mi-ae and Lee Hae-chan served as party leader. Lee Hae-chan suggested the party move in a progressive direction, claiming that the party is not a progressive party by international standards, and its policies are much more conservative than those of reformist parties in Europe, labelling the Democratic Party "centre-right"[87]
After that, moderates such as Lee Nak-yon and Kim Tae-nyeon held the party leadership. However, after the progressive Lee Jae-myung was elected as the party's leader, the party moved in a more progressive direction, to the dismay of the moderate and conservative factions.[88][needs update]
Factions
The Democratic Party is a big tent party, with ideological factions spanning from centre-left to centre-right on the political spectrum.
Social liberal[93]populists[k][102] support centre-left, progressive policies including New Deal-like policies.[103] The faction enjoys high support from general party members, but there is less support among the party's National Assembly members. The faction is centered around Lee Jae-myung and often referred to as the "pro-Myung" faction.[104]
When Lee Jae-myung initially entered politics, he was called Korea's Bernie Sanders and was considered an anti-establishment alternative to the moderate Democratic Party.[105]Jacobin magazine referred to Representative Lee Jae-myung as a progressive in 2017.[106] But after 2022, he is mainly described as a liberal and has rolled back some of his pledges that were criticized in the past as radical.[107]
When the "pro-Lee Jae-myung" faction started out as a minority faction in 2017, its base of support was mainly in Seongnam City.[108] He ran a 'labor law firm' that helped defend workers in Seongnam.[109] While serving as the Mayor of Seongnam, he implemented radical progressive policies such as providing universal basic income for young people, free school uniforms, and expanding social welfare programs such as free postpartum care.[110] At the time, his faction included moderate social democrats like Eun Soo-mi, and others from South Korean socialist groups, such as the former South Korean Socialist Workers' Alliance.[111]
However, during the 2022 presidential election, he advocated for economically liberal policies such as real estate deregulation, acquisition tax relief and pro-business arguments. This trend intensified during the 2022 presidential election campaign, when Lee emphasized "centrism and civic integration".[112] During the presidential campaign, Lee spent much time meeting and gaining support from centrists and conservatives.[113][114] The party emphasized "economic growth" throughout the election campaign.[115] Some columnists of the Hankyoreh reported Lee Jae-myung as saying, "I should have shouted for reform and change, not pragmatism and integration," revealing his regret for turning to a more moderate stance.[116] Lee was also criticized for leaving behind his (liberal/progressive) "values" to win the votes of conservative voters.[117]
Centrist reformism has historically dominated the Democratic Party and its policies.[118][119][120][121] The centrist reformist faction historically originated from the Donggyo-dong faction which was centered around President Kim Dae-jung. The party's moderate reformists mainly belonged to the pro-Moon faction, with a minority of members belonging to pro-Lee Nak-yeon and pro-Chung Sye-kyun factions. However, compared to the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, they are economically liberal and slightly more conservative.[122] In particular, the pro-Lee Nak-yon faction embraced economically liberal measures and drew support from the conservative wing of the party.[123]
The former president, Moon Jae-in has been described as liberal and centrist reformist. His government has been described by several experts as a "centrist-liberal government"[119] while taking a culturally liberal approach to military reform, school reform, and environmental issues, but a somewhat moderate socially conservative approach to disability rights and LGBT rights.[124] He also implemented reformative economic policies like implementing the 52-hour workweek, increasing the minimum wage, and regulating the housing market. Lee Nak-yon, former Prime Minister under Moon administration, pledged to continue Moon's policies, proposing "New Welfare System," which would upgrade and expand South Korea's social safety net.[125] During his campaign for party leader, Lee Nak-yon gained support of some pro-Moon Assembly members.[126]
As of March 2024, the influence of centrist reformists have decreased as some members centered around Lee Nak-yon, including Lee himself left the Democratic Party to establish the New Future Party.[127]
Conservatives like Kim Jin-pyo[128][129][130][131] display socially conservative attitudes on abortion and LGBT+ rights but support economically liberal policies such as the deregulation of real estate.[132] A survey conducted by the Maeil Business Newspaper which evaluated members of the National Assembly based on their voting records concluded that Kim Jin-pyo was closer to being conservative than centrist.[133] Kim introduced the "Homosexuality Healing Movement" as one of several proposed countermeasures against South Korea's low birth rate, which aimed to "convert" LGBT+ people to being heterosexual.[134] Despite his conservative tendencies, Kim won the support of a majority of lawmakers in the election for speaker of the National Assembly.[135]
In addition, there are Christian democrats within the party, such as former assembly member Park Young-sun. Park had claimed in an interview that "I was the strongest opponent of the 300 members of the National Assembly in the past on homosexuality".[136] In 2021, she turned to a more moderate conservative stance, saying she supports a more moderate form of anti-discrimination law that factors in "religious exceptions".[137][138] Park remains skeptical about holding queer parades.[139]
Moderate conservatives such as Kim Young-choon, Kim Boo-kyum, and Yang Seung-jo who defected from mainstream conservative parties make up an extreme minority within the party. Within the Democratic Party, they take a relatively conservative stance, such as opposing reformist bills that include installing CCTVs in operating rooms.[140]
Conservatives in the Democratic Party are politically opposed to the new liberal and progressive faction centered around Lee Jae-myung[141] Whenever disputes between the factions arise, Democratic Party conservatives demand that the pro-Lee faction voluntarily leave the party, or insist that the party can split.[142]
Park Ji-hyun, former co-chair of the election committee
There are several political minorities in the Democratic Party. They take a critical stance towards the party's mainstream and elite, though with little ideological coherence.[143]
Liberals like Park Ji-hyun support the rights of immigrants, and adhere to liberal feminism and cultural liberalism. Although they are liberals, they oppose populism and are socially liberal to progressive, leading to frequent conflict with the party's pro-Lee Jae-myung faction.[144][145] Regarding the arrest motion of Lee Jae-myung,[146] she strongly criticized party leader Lee Jae-myung, saying that his arrest motion and previous investigations by the Prosecutor's Office were the cause of the party's decline in approval ratings. She has criticized the US Supreme Court's decision to revoke the federal right to abortion and is an open supporter of abortion rights.[147]
People from the left-wing progressiveDemocratic Labor Party, such as assemblyman Park Yong-jin, voted against the Democratic Party's 2023 budget plan, labelling it a "tax cut for the rich."[148] However, Park also insisted on reducing corporate tax, sparking criticism from within the party.[149]
The party takes a favorable stance on government intervention in the market, while keeping some distance from labour politics and labour movements. For this reason, the Democratic Party was classified as a "conservative liberal" party by left-wing media.[154]
However, Lee Jae-myung supports New Deal liberalism, which is economically progressive and labor-friendly, unlike Moon Jae-in, who was a pro-Chaebolcentrist. Lee's stance won the support of former and current executives of major labor unions in South Korea.[155] Lee Jae-myung was compared to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his New Deal Coalition as he formed a big tent political coalition based on liberalism that brought together social conservatives, reformist liberals, left-wing social progressives, and anti-Chaebol labor activists.[156] The Democratic Party succeeded in enacting the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act, which emphasizes corporate responsibility for industrial accidents, overcoming opposition from the right-wing conservative camp. Noh Woong-rae, a pro-labor member of the party, criticized the Yoon Seok-yeol government's attempt to extend working hours in an interview with left-wing media, emphasizing the strengthening of union rights and the responsibility of companies for safety management. He announced that he would soon attempt to enact a yellow envelope law that would limit companies' compensation for damages to striking workers.[157]
Most Democratic lawmakers oppose anti-discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination against LGBT+ people and immigrants, with most members valuing "social consensus." One DPK assemblyman said that “I am the most hawkish opposition to the anti-discrimination law. We, the Democrats make the decision”.[165] The party's liberal faction attempted to raise socially liberal policies, such as anti-discrimination laws, as controversial bills, but this was aborted due to opposition within the party.[166] Some members of the party's conservative faction, along with church officials, staged a protest against the anti-discrimination law.[167] In December 2023, party leader Lee Jae-myung stated his opposition to unilaterally passing an anti-discrimination law in the National Assembly.[168][169] The former floor leader and one of they key members of DPK, Park Hong-geun, made clear his negative position on the anti-discrimination law, saying "it has aspects that go against the God’s providence of creation".[170] The party itself did not state an official position on the anti-discrimination law prior to the 2024 election, while conservative party answered ‘reserve’ on the anti-discrimination law.[171] Newly elected speaker of the house Woo Won-shik said that “as a Christian, I oppose homosexuality and think that it’s not right” while making it clear his negative stance on anti-discrimination law.[172] Floor leader Park Chan-dae said that “I want Korea to become a country which shows the providence of God”.[173] Party secretary-general Kim Yoon-deok also opposed the anti-discrimination law saying that "anti-discrimination law tries to ban discrimination against sexual identity and sexual orientation as if they were the same as sex and disabilities which are legitimate grounds for non-discrimination".[174]
In the North Jeolla provincial assembly, DPK assemblymen blocked an ordinance to urge anti-discrimination which was proposed by a member of the Justice Party. Na In-kwon, a DPK council member, who one of the main opponents of the ordinance, said the "Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination Law causes sexually curious youths to fall Into homosexuality, corrupting next generation leaders".[175]
Assemblyman Kim Moon-soo, a member of the Democratic Party who is preparing the Student Human Rights Act as the first bill, said that he will reflect the concerns of the churches such as ‘opposition to the homosexuality’ in the bill, connoting that the DPK would rule out teenage sexual minorities from the scope of legal protection.[176]
The party's socially conservative attitude on issues related to LGBT rights, feminism, and abortion mainly draw from Christianity and South Korea's Confucian traditions,[124][177][178] but aside from those issues the party demonstrates moderate-to-liberal social policy. The DPK opposes corporal punishment for children and led the complete abolition of laws that justified corporal punishment for children in the past. The DPK also supports strengthening punishments for domestic violence.[179][180]
Abortion and reproductive rights
The Democratic Party opposes abortion, campaigning on actively participating in movements to prevent abortion in the 2018 local elections.[181] Additionally, socially conservative members of the party that oppose abortion, including National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, occupy key positions in the party and exert great influence.[182]
National Security Act
The party takes an ambiguous position that neither supports nor opposes the abolition of the National Security Act.[183]
Democratic lawmakers jointly proposed a plan to repeal the National Security Act in 2021, but it ultimately failed to pass.[184]
Immigration
Most of the main politicians of the Democratic Party are neutral on the issue of immigration regardless of faction. As immigration issue is not a main social problem in Korea as Korea is still a homogenous nation, there aren’t many discussions about immigration. The party claims to oppose racism, but they also opposed the passage of an anti-discrimination law which bans discrimination against immigrants. Several party members showed concern on the government’s plan to establish a national immigration office.[185][186] The party opposed admitting Afghanistan refugees in 2021 while the conservative party supported it.[187] The party oppose the government’s plan to establish Immigration Office to boost immigration.[188] DPK provincial councillor of the South Choongcheong province was criticized after demanding the differentiation of the minimum wage application against the foreign immigrant workers.[189]
Religion and other policies
The DPK's Christian influences have also been criticized by other religious groups. In December 2021, the Moon Jae-in government invested 1.2 billion won (US$1,000,000) in a campaign to promote playing Christmas carols in stores such as restaurants and cafes. South Korea's Buddhist community opposed the measure, calling it a policy that gives preferential treatment to a specific religion.[190]
The DPK views criticized the consumption of dog meat, with President Moon Jae-in stating he was considering a legal ban on dog meat in September 2021.[191] In addition, the party supports reforms on student rights issues.[192]
Foreign policy
The Democratic Party has historically maintained a friendly stance with the United States, considering it a strategic ally of South Korea.[193] However, its leader Lee Jae-myung referred to the presence of the United States armed forces in Korea after its a liberation from Japan as an "occupying force. "[194] In a meeting with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, Lee expressed his opposition to the Taft–Katsura agreement, stating that the United States' approval of the agreement led to the Japanese annexation of Korea.[195] Lee has also called China a "strategic cooperative partner" and said South Korea does not have to side with either country.[193]
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the party supported maintaining friendly relations with Russia, with the aim of swaying Russia to cooperate with South Korea rather than North Korea. The party condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[196] However, many DPK politicians also did not attend Zelensky's video speech to the South Korean parliament.[197] The party caused controversy in April 2022 by inviting a pro-Russian professor who denied the Bucha Massacre at a party forum.[198] When president Yoon Suk Yeol mentioned the possibility of providing weapons to Ukraine from South Korea on 19 April 2023, many DPK politicians criticized Yoon and said South Korea should not be hostile to Russia.[199][200]
The party opposes Japan's remilitarization efforts and revision of its constitution as it fears the return of Japanese imperialism.[204] The party's politicians are opposed to a military alliance with Japan, stating that "Japan is not an ally" to South Korea.[205]
The party strongly supports the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and aims for peaceful relations with North Korea. The party also officially advocates for increasing cooperation with the North to create a foundation for reunification.[206] The party has a strong ethnic nationalistic stance, so they often emphasize being of ‘one race’ with North Korea.
^It influenced by Lee Jae-myung who is known as a "liberal"[94][95] or "left-liberal" politician.[96] Whether Lee can be viewed as a "left-wing" or "left-wing populist" is debatable.[97] Lee himself argues that he is not "left-wing" (좌파 or 좌익), but rather more "conservative" (보수).[98][99] Lee described himself as a "pro-business" (친기업) who supports the promotion of workers' rights but does not support policies that are too hostile to businesses,[100] and Lee is also staunch supporter of free trade (자유무역).[101]
^Park, Cheoljoong (16 March 2014). 바다파랑 '새정치민주연합', 썩지 않는 바다처럼 (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
^The Democratic Party is described as a centrist party by numerous sources:
"Democratic Party". Britannica. 6 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2017. Democratic Party (DP), Korean Daeburo Minjudang, centrist-liberal political party in South Korea.
"법안 표결로 본 국회의원 300명 이념성향" [The ideological orientation of 300 members of the National Assembly as seen through the bill vote]. 레이더P. 16 January 2017. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
"더불어민주당". Daum Encyclopedia Encyclopedia (in Korean). 13 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023. 더불어민주당은 중도개혁 성향의 정당으로 평가된다. [The Democratic Party is regarded as a party with a tendency for centrist reform[ist].]
Soo Kim, ed. (2020). How to Live Korean. Quarto Publishing Group UK. p. 107. ISBN9780711257092. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021. South Korea's two main political parties today include the Democratic Party (the centrist liberal group and latest ruling party of The National Assembly) and the Liberal Korea Party (the conservative, far right-wing party).
"The substance of a Korean Green New Deal is still being defined". Chinadialogue.net. 1 July 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2020. During South Korea's parliamentary election in mid-April, which was the world's first national election amid the pandemic, the ruling centrist Democratic Party (DPK), the centre-right Party for People's Livelihoods (PPL), the centre-left Justice Party (JP) and the left Green Party Korea (GPK) all made pledges around a "Green New Deal".
"South Korea After Park". Jacobin magazine. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2021. ... No new Podemos-like political force has emerged from Gwanghwamun Square, and all the movement can boast today is an electoral shift from the right to the center.
Ahn, JH (19 September 2016). "South Korea split over whether to aid "arch-nemesis" in flood relief". NK News.org. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2019. Her party, Saenuri, has also remained silent on the issue, in sharp contrast to centrist Minjoo Party [sic], which on Monday urged Seoul to look beyond politics and help its neighbor.
"Moon Jae-in: South Korean liberal claims presidency". BBC. 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2019. Mr Moon, of the centre-left Democratic Party, unsuccessfully ran against Ms Park in 2012 elections.
"Seoul's mayor found dead in presumed suicide after #MeToo allegation". France 24. 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023. A heavyweight figure in the ruling centre-left Democratic party, Park ran South Korea's sprawling capital -- home to almost a fifth of the national population -- for nearly a decade.
^"황교안 "우리가 극우면 文정부는 극극극극좌"… 홍영표 "독재 타도? 박정희 정권때 외쳤어야"" [Hwang Kyo-ahn "If we are the extreme right, the Moon government is the extreme extreme extreme left"… Hong Young-pyo "Down with dictatorship? You should have shouted during the Park Chung-hee regime"]. Dong-A Ilbo. 29 April 2019. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
^"'진보정치의 시간'을 위해 필요한 4가지" [4 things needed for ‘the time of progressive politics’]. 한겨례. 17 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023. ... 전통적인 '비판적 지지론'의 성격도 있지만, 그것이 전부는 아니다. 실제 민주당이 다소 진보화된 과정이 있었고, 이제 민주당이 '어느 정도' 진보적 정당이라고 생각하는 시민들이 있다... ... [.. There is also the character of the traditional 'critical support theory', but that is not all. In fact, there was a process in which the Democratic Party was somewhat progressive, and now there are citizens who think that the Democratic Party is a progressive party 'to some extent'.]
^현연, 조. 2019. 한국 진보 정당 운동사. 후마니타스. pp. 198-199, 221-222
^조성은 (20 July 2018). 독일 정치 우리의 대안 (in Korean). e지식의 날개. ISBN9788920032370. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023 – via Google Books.
^"경찰도, 집권당도 부스 차리고 응원...서울과 사뭇 다른 베를린 성소수자 축제" [The police and the ruling party also set up booths and cheer... Berlin's sexual minority festival, which is quite different from Seoul]. Hankook Ilbo. 19 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023. . 보수색이 짙은 기독교민주연합(기민련)의 부스도 보였다. 서울광장에서 집권여당인 국민의힘과 제1야당인 더불어민주당 차원의 움직임은 없었다. 지지세가 크지 않은 진보당·녹색당이 부스를 차렸을 뿐이었다... [There was also a booth of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (Kiminryon). In Seoul Plaza, there was no movement at the level of the People's Power, the ruling party, and the Democratic Party, the first opposition party. Only the Progressive Party and the Green Party, which did not have much support, set up booths..'.]
^"이해찬 "민주당 진보적인 당 아니다…중도 우파 정도"" [Lee Hae-chan "Democratic Party is not a progressive party... about the center-right"]. JoongAng Ilbo. 17 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023. . 이 대표는 "유럽의 개혁적인 정당에 비하면 (민주당) 정강·정책이 훨씬 더 보수적"이라며 "보수적일 수밖에 없는 환경 속에서 활동을 해왔기 때문에 그렇다고 보고 이제는 조금 더 개혁적으로 가야 한다고 생각한다"고 설명했다.. [.Representative Lee said, "Compared to reformist parties in Europe, (Democratic Party) is much more conservative in its platform and policies.""Because I have been active in an environment that has no choice but to be conservative, Seeing that, I think we need to go a little more reformative now.".]
^"'가짜 보수'가 문재인 대통령을 '진보'라고 하는 이유" [Why ‘fake conservatives’ call President Moon Jae-in ‘progressive’]. The Hankyoreh. 28 October 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023. .문재인 대통령은 2013년 펴낸 <1219 끝이 시작이다>라는 책에서 김대중 노무현 정부를 줄곧 '민주정부 10년'으로 표현하고 있습니다. "좌파는커녕 중도에도 미치지 못하는 한국의 중도우파 노선 정치세력이 극우 세력으로부터 '종북좌파'로 몰리는 건, 한국만의 후진적 정치 현실일 뿐"이라는 내용도 들어 있습니다.. [President Moon Jae-in, in his 2013 book titled <1219 The End Is the Beginning>, has consistently referred to the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations as “10 years of democratic government.” It also contains the content that "it is only a backward political reality unique to South Korea that the political forces of the center-right line in Korea, which are not even left-wing, fall short of the center, from the far-right forces to the 'pro-North Korea leftist'." .]
^"Teen candidates in local S.Korea races reveal youth vote's power". Reuters. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023. Yoon won 58% of men in their 20s, while liberal Lee Jae-myung gained the same percentage of women, according to exit polls. Yoon prevailed in the election by a margin of just 0.7%.
^Lim, Sung-eun (3 August 2022). "Neck-and-Neck Race: Presidential Election in South Korea". Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022. Twelve candidates are officially registered for the election, but two candidates are taking lead: Lee Jae-myung of the ruling left-liberal Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon Seok-yeol of the conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP). ... His main rival, conservative Yoon Seok-yeol, is former Prosecutor General. Independent and prominent, Yoon was appointed by the left-liberal President Moon. ... The left-liberal candidate Lee stresses distribution and regulation.
^"이재명, '좌파'보다 '박정희'에 가깝다" [Lee Jae-Myung. It's more like "Park Chung-hee" than "Left".]. Dong-A Ilbo. 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
^"After Choi-gate". Jacobin magazine. 12 June 2016. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2021. This allows a populist figure like Lee Jae-myung, mayor of wealthy satellite city Seongnam, to be presented as a progressive presidential candidate
^공저, 은수미,정재승,표창원,홍세화,박래군,윤여준 (27 December 2013). 새로고침 (in Korean). 한겨레출판. ISBN978-89-8431-745-1. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"더불어민주당". Daum Encyclopedia Encyclopedia (in Korean). 13 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023. 더불어민주당은 중도개혁 성향의 정당으로 평가된다. [The Democratic Party is regarded as a party with a tendency for centrist reform[ist].]
^ abc"South Korea After Park". Jacobin magazine. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2021. ... At the same time, however, he belongs to the Catholic Church and holds some socially conservative views. When asked during a debate about the military's persecution of gay soldiers, Moon responded that he opposed homosexuality in general.
^"'"부동산 규제 풀자" "노동유연성 확대"… 여기 민주당 맞나요". Seoul Shinmun. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022. 더불어민주당이 21대 총선에서 163석의 '슈퍼 여당'으로 몸집을 키우면서 내부에서는 보수적 색채가 점차 번져 가고 있다. (As the Democratic Party has grown into a 163-seat "super ruling party" in the 21st general elections, conservative colors are gradually deepening inside.)
^"법안 표결로 본 국회의원 300명 이념성향". raythep.mk.co.kr/. 16 January 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
^DPK supports the market economy and includes a large number of people who show economic liberalism such as deregulation. This tendency is particularly evident in the party's conservative faction.
"'규제완화론자' 김진표, 여당 부동산특위 위원장 맡는다" [Kim Jin-pyo, a ‘deregulationist’, serves as the chairman of the ruling party’s real estate special committee]. Kyunghyang Shinmun. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023. .(김진표는) 참여정부 초대 부총리 시절 법인세 인하를 일성으로 내걸었고, 강력한 부동산 투기 억제책 요구가 일자 "사회주의적 방법"이라고 일축한 적도 있다.... [..(Kim Jin-pyo..), when he was the first deputy prime minister of the participatory government, advocated a reduction in corporate tax with one voice, and once dismissed it as a "socialist method" when there was a strong demand for measures to curb real estate speculation...]
"법인세 인하·성장이 공정…與 주자들 '경제대통령' 앞세워 우회전" [Corporate tax cuts and growth are fair... Old runners turn right with the ‘Economic President’ in front]. ko:뉴스1. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2023. ..이 지사는 이같은 방식의 성장 정책과 공정 정책을 두 축으로 '공정성장 경제'를 내세울 것으로 알려졌다. 이 지사 측 관계자는 "성장이 공정이고, 공정이 곧 성장"이라며... [..It is known that Governor Lee will promote a 'fair growth economy' with the two axes of growth policy and fair policy in this way. An official from the branch said, "Growth is fair, and fairness is growth."..]
"이재명 "취득세도 낮추겠다"…윤석열과 부동산 감세 경쟁" [Lee Jae-myung "I will lower the acquisition tax"… Yoon Seok-yeol and Real Estate Tax Cut Competition]. The Hankyoreh. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2023. ..이재명 더불어민주당 대선 후보가 29일 양도소득세와 종합부동산세에 이어 취득세 부담 완화 방침을 밝혔다. 앞서 윤석열 국민의힘 후보의 취득세 감면 공약에 뒤이은 것으로 거대정당의 여야 대선 후보가 표심을 의식해 '원칙 없는 부동산 감세 경쟁'을 벌이고 있다는 지적이 나온다.... [.On the 29th, Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung announced a plan to ease the burden of acquisition tax following capital gains tax and comprehensive real estate tax. It is pointed out that the presidential candidates of the ruling and opposition parties of the giant party are engaged in a’principle real estate tax reduction competition’, following the pledge of the people’s power candidate Seok-yeol Yoon’s acquisition tax reduction earlier.]
^"전 정부 '확장재정'은 착시?···코로나19 일시 지출 빼면 이미 윤 정부 건전성 목표 달성". Kyunghyang Shinmun. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023. 전문가들은 국가재정이 보수, 진보 정권 할 것 없이 관료 주도로 보수적으로 운용해 왔다고 지적했다. 하준경 한양대 경제학부 교수는 "정권마다 접근법의 차이가 있어도 기본적으로 기획재정부 주도의 재정 보수주의가 국내 재정 정책을 지배해왔다"며 "코로나19 대응과 물가 상승 상황에서의 취약 계층 지원, 기술 패권 경쟁에 따른 정부의 역할 확대 등을 고려하면 긴축재정은 시대적 과제에 대응하기 어렵다"고 말했다.
^"'더불어민주당 2중대'로서 정의당" [The Justice Party, which became the "second party of the Democratic Party".]. 매일노동뉴스. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2021. ...집값은 오르고 불로소득은 넘쳐 나고 빈부격차도 심해졌다. 노동 개혁도 엉망진창이다. 코로나19라는 악재가 있으나, 보수적 자유주의 정당인 더불어민주당의 성격을 고려할 때 정권 출범부터 예견됐던 일이다. [...Housing prices rose, unearned income overflowed, and the gap between the rich and the poor widened. labour reform is also a mess. Although there is a negative factor called COVID-19, it has been predicted since the inauguration of the regime considering the nature of the conservative liberal party, the Democratic Party.]
^Junhyoung Lee; Jorge Tamames (25 March 2020). "Lecciones de Corea del Sur". politicaexterior.com (in Spanish). El Partido de la Libertad de Corea (conservador) ha criticado al actual gobierno (del socio-liberal Partido Demócrata) por promover iniciativas en este ámbito.
^"An Identity Crisis for South Korea's Opposition". The Diplomat. 31 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021. South Korea's main opposition social-liberal party is reeling (again) from intraparty factional struggle. Rebranded earlier this week "the Minjoo Party of Korea" (formerly New Politics Alliance for Democracy), the party is searching for a new identity and direction after high profile and popular assemblyperson Ahn Cheol-soo defected on December 13.
^"The loser in South Korea's last presidential race has another go". The Economist. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020. The country now faces a snap presidential election on May 9th. After almost a decade of conservative rule, the ballot looks likely to be a victory for the more socially liberal Minjoo party: its support is the highest it has ever been, at 50%. Mr Moon, who led the party until January last year, has topped the polls for president for almost three months. The latest sounding puts his support at 35% in a crowded field.
^"152석 열린우리당 때 실패한 '국보법 폐지' 재부상... 與 일단 "논의안해"" [The issue of "abolishing the National Security Act", which failed during the 152-seat Uri Party, has resurfaced... The ruling party DPK said, "We will not discuss it."]. The Chosun Ilbo. 17 April 2020. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
^"How Biden Can Navigate a New Era in South Korean Politics". The Diplomat. 15 January 2021. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2023. historically, South Korean progressives and Japanese conservatives mix like oil and water. Condemning cooperation with Japan has long been the linchpin of South Korea's progressive agenda from both a human rights and decolonization perspective.