Democratic Party of Korea

The Democratic Party[11] (Korean: 더불어민주당; Hanja: 더불어民主黨; RR: Deobureominjudang; lit. Together Democratic Party; short form 민주, 더민주 Minju, Deominju, known as "Minjudang" 민주당 in South Korean media since 2016),[12] formerly the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD),[13] is a centrist,[8] liberal[2] political party in South Korea.

"Minjoo" redirects here. For the other parties, see Minjudang. For the given name, see Min-ju.

Democratic Party 더불어민주당
President	Moon Jae-in
Leader	Lee Hae-chan
Floor leader	Kim Tae-nyeon
Secretary-General	Yun Ho-jung
Chair of the Policy Planning Committee	Cho Jeong-sik
Founded	18 September 1955 (1955-09-18) (Democratic Party)[1] 26 March 2014 (2014-03-26) (as New Politics Alliance for Democracy)
Merger of	Minjoo Party
Preceded by	Democratic Party New Politics Alliance
Headquarters	7, Gukhoe-daero 68-gil, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul
Think tank	The Institute for Democracy
Membership (2018)	3,579,111
Ideology	Liberalism[2] Social liberalism[3][4] Factions: Social conservatism[5][6][7]
Political position	Centre[8] to centre-left[9]
National affiliation	Platform Party (2020 election)
Colours	Blue[N 1][10]
Seats in the National Assembly	176 / 300
Metropolitan mayor and Gubernatorial	13 / 17
Municipal Mayors	151 / 226
Seats within local government	2,290 / 3,750
Website
theminjoo.kr
Politics of South Korea Political parties Elections

Democratic Party of Korea
Hangul	더불어민주당
Hanja	더불어民主黨[N 2]
Revised Romanization	Deobureominjudang
McCune–Reischauer	Tŏburŏminjudang
The Minjoo
Hangul	더민주
Hanja	더民主
Revised Romanization	Deominju
McCune–Reischauer	Tŏminju
Democratic Party
Hangul	민주당
Hanja	民主黨
Revised Romanization	Minjudang
McCune–Reischauer	Minjudang

Headquarters of the Democratic Party

The party was founded on 26 March 2014 as a merger of the Democratic Party and the preparatory committee of the New Political Vision Party (NPVP). The former Democratic Party was legally absorbed into the NPAD after the latter's creation, while the preparatory committee of the NPVP was dissolved, with members who supported the merger joining the NPAD individually. The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in South Korea along with its rival the conservative United Future Party.

History

Formation and Ahn–Kim chairmanship (March–July 2014)

Logo of the NPAD (2014–2015)

The Democratic Party was formed as the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (새정치민주연합; Saejeongchi Minju Yeonhap) on 26 March 2014 after the independent faction led by Ahn Cheol-soo, then in the process of forming a party called the New Political Vision Party, merged with the main opposition Democratic Party, led by Kim Han-gil. Ahn and Kim became joint leaders of the new party.[14] The party performed poorly in by-elections that July, however, and both leaders stepped down, having served for three months. Leadership of the party was assumed by an emergency committee.[15]

Ahn–Moon controversy and split (2015–16)

The next year, at a party convention on 7 February, Moon Jae-in was elected the new chairman of the party.[16] Moon, who had previously served as chief of staff for former president Roh Moo-hyun,[16] was the leader of the party's "pro-Roh" faction, which was 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.[17]

The party hemorrhaged support as the factional conflict intensified, falling from around 40 to 30 percent in opinion polls.[18] A survey conducted on 12–14 November showed that supporters of the party wanted Ahn and Seoul mayor Park Won-soon to assume the leadership alongside Moon.[19] On 29 November, Ahn rejected a proposal from Moon to establish a joint leadership,[20] and the next month he presented Moon with an ultimatum, demanding that he call a convention to elect a new party leader. Moon rejected the demand,[21] and Ahn left the party.[22]

Ahn was followed by a number of supportive NPAD assembly members, including his former co-leader Kim Han-gil,[23] and the group began preparations to form a new party.[24] On 12 January, Kwon Rho-kap, a former aide of President Kim Dae-jung and a popular figure in the party's traditional stronghold of Honam, also exited the party, similarly citing Moon's "pro-Roh hegemony".[25] Meanwhile, Ahn and Kim merged their group with that of another defector from the NPAD, Chun Jung-bae, to form the People's Party.[26]

Following the defections, the NPAD was renamed the Democratic Party of Korea on 27 December 2015, and Moon resigned on 27 January 2016.[27] Moon handed power to Kim Chong-in, an academic and former assemblyman who had more recently served as economic advisor to conservative President Park Geun-hye.[28][29] Kim was seen as an unexpected choice, as he had previously worked for the right-wing Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo administrations in the 1980s,[30] serving as an assembly member for the ruling Democratic Justice Party and as health and welfare minister under Roh.[31]

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.[32] In the lead-up to the 2016 parliamentary election he moved against key members of the pro-Roh faction in the nominations process, deselecting Lee Hae-chan, who had been Prime Minister under Roh and was now chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.[33] Lee left the party in response.[32] Kim's moves proved controversial, and many of his nominations for the party's proportional representation 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 decided to stay on as leader after a personal visit from Moon.[34] Kim affirmed that he would continue to attempt to change the party's image, stating that the events had shown the party was "still unable to move on from its old ways".[28]

Though losing votes to the People's Party formed by Ahn, Chun and Kim Han-gil—particularly in Honam[18]—the party emerged as the overall winner of the election, garnering a plurality of seats (120 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 election victory, Kim Chong-in announced that the Minjoo Party would change its emphasis 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.[35]

President Moon Jae-in: 2017–present

President of South Korea Moon Jae-in (2017-present)

After the constitutional court impeached President Park Geun-hye over bribery, the Democratic Party's Moon Jae-in won the presidential election with a 41.1% plurality of the votes, with Hong Joon-pyo of Liberty Korea coming second with 24%.

2018 local elections victory

See also: 2018 South Korean local elections

2020 legislative election victory

See also: 2020 South Korean legislative election

Policies

The Party has a wide range of policies; some of these include:[36]

Economic policies

• Support a market economy.
• Encourage the growth of agricultural, livestock and fishing industries and develop agricultural and fishing villages.
• Promote innovation and prepare South Korea for the jobs of the future.
• Establish a department in charge of science and technology policy.
• Raise the minimum wage.
• Implement a version of the Green New Deal to move South Korea to carbon neutrality by 2050.[37]

Social policies

• Strengthen the social safety net.
• Guarantee healthcare and housing as a basic right.
• Improve equal opportunity for all regardless of background, including in education.
• Expand educational support for those in marginalized classes.
• Support gender equality and oppose discrimination.

Foreign policies

• Raise the morale of the military and strengthen rewards for veterans.
• Strengthen the R.O.Korea–U.S. alliance and follow proactive, cooperative diplomacy with neighbouring countries.
• Expand support for enhancing the rights of Korean expatriates overseas.

Reunification of North and South Korea

• Strongly support denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and work toward peace.
• Create a foundation for reunification through exchange and cooperation.
• Expand support for human rights and people’s welfare.

Political reform

• Recover people's trust in the government after the 2016 South Korean political scandal.
• Fight corruption.
• Give more money to local governments.
• Integrate representative democracy and direct democracy.

List of leaders

Chairpersons

• Note: ^ERC - as head of Emergency Response Committee

No.	Name	Term of office		Election results
		Took office	Left office
1	Co-leadership Kim Han-gil   Ahn Cheol-soo	26 March 2014	31 July 2014	No election
—	Park Young-sun^ERC	4 August 2014	18 September 2014	Appointed
—	Moon Hee-sang^ERC	18 September 2014	9 February 2015	Appointed
2	Moon Jae-in	9 February 2015	27 January 2016	see 2015 election
—	Kim Chong-in^ERC	27 January 2016	27 August 2016	Appointed
3	Choo Mi-ae	27 August 2016	25 August 2018	see 2016 election
4	Lee Hae-chan	25 August 2018	Incumbent	see 2018 election

Floor leaders

No.	Name	Term of office
		Took office	Left office
1	Jun Byung-hun	26 March 2014	7 May 2014
2	Park Young-sun	7 May 2014	2 October 2014
—	Kim Young-rok acting	2 October 2014	8 October 2014
3	Woo Yoon-keun	8 October 2014	6 May 2015
4	Lee Jong-kul	6 May 2015	4 May 2016
5	Woo Sang-Ho	4 May 2016	16 May 2017
6	Woo Won-shik	16 May 2017	11 May 2018
7	Hong Young-pyo	11 May 2018	8 May 2019
8	Lee In-young	8 May 2019	7 May 2020
9	Kim Tae-nyeon	7 May 2020	Incumbent

Election results

Presidential elections

Election	Candidate	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome
2017	Moon Jae-in	13,423,800	41.1%	Elected Y

General elections

Election	Total seats won	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election	Election leader
2016	123 / 300	8,881,369	37.0%	4 seats; Plurality Opposition	Kim Chong-in
2020	180 / 300	14,345,425	49.9%	57 seats; Majority Government	Lee Hae-chan

Local elections

Election	Metropolitan mayor/Governor	Provincial legislature	Municipal mayor	Municipal legislature	Election leader
2014	9 / 17	349 / 789	78 / 226	1,157 / 2,898	Kim Han-gil Ahn Cheol-soo
2018	14 / 17	652 / 824	151 / 226	1,638 / 2,927	Choo Mi-ae

See also

• Politics of South Korea
• Democratic Party (South Korea, 2000)
• Uri Party
• Democratic Party (South Korea, 2008)
• Democratic Party (South Korea, 2011)

Footnotes

1. Officially described as "sea blue" (바다파랑) by the party.
2. 共同民主黨 or other variants are translated names in Chinese and Japanese.

References

1. 우리의 발자취 (in Korean). Democratic Party of Korea. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
2. The Democratic Party of Korea is described as a liberal party by numerous sources:
   • S. NATHAN PARK (16 April 2020). "South Korea Is a Liberal Country Now". Foreign Policy. To be sure, the Democrats, the main liberal party, were expecting a good result.
   • Jesús Velasco (4 July 2019). American Presidential Elections in a Comparative Perspective: The World Is Watching. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 154. ISBN 1498557589.
   • "Democratic Party of Korea". Britannica. Democratic Party of Korea (DP), Korean Daeburo Minjudang, centrist-liberal political party in South Korea.
   • Steven Denney (13 March 2017). "South Koreans Can't Agree What Democracy Is". Foreign Policy. It doesn’t help Hwang’s credibility that the main opposition Minjoo Party, the liberal party with the most seats in the legislature, declared at the end of February its intent to see Hwang impeached for his refusal to grant a special prosecutor the right to continue its probe into the corruption scandal.
   • Steven Denney (12 August 2016). "Dong-A Ilbo Sees Minjoo Party at a Crossroads". sino NK. Having been handily defeated in the last two presidential elections (2007 and 2012), some say that the main liberal party, the Minjoo Party (더불어 민주당) is in need of an identity change.
     
   • Steven Borowiec (24 February 2016). "South Korean lawmakers try first filibuster since 1969 to block anti-terrorism bill". Los Angeles Times. In recent years, the main liberal party, now the Minjoo Party, has changed its name, and had many high-profile members defect amid infighting and electoral defeats.
3. • 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.
   • "South Korea ahead of legislative elections" (PDF). European Parliamentary Research Service. 7 April 2016. The social-liberal Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK, Together Democratic Party) is the main opposition force.
   • "An Identity Crisis for South Korea's Opposition". The Diplomat. 31 December 2015. 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.
4. "The loser in South Korea's last presidential race has another go". The Economist. 30 March 2017. 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.
5. • "The politics of homophobia in South Korea". East Asia Forum. 4 July 2016.
   • Steger, Isabella. "Being a progressive politician in Korea doesn't stop you from being homophobic". Quartz. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
   • ""중증장애인 삶은 늘 코로나 재난" 거리로 나온 장애인들 (Disabled people who have taken to the streets "Life with severe disabilities is always a disaster like COVID-19")" (in Korean). 이데일리. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
   • "'성소수자 차별·낙태 금지' 수호자가 대한민국 총리라니요 (The Guardian of the Prohibition of Discrimination and Abortion in LGBT is the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea?)" (in Korean). OhmyNews. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
6. • "'중도보수' 표방 새정치연합, '세모녀 법'등 민생정치도 '흔들' (People's livelihood politics such as the NPAD, which advocates "moderate conservatism", and the "three-mother-daughter law" shake.)". 참세상. 31 March 2014.
   • "'"부동산 규제 풀자" "노동유연성 확대"… 여기 민주당 맞나요". 서울신문. 6 May 2020. 더불어민주당이 21대 총선에서 163석의 '슈퍼 여당'으로 몸집을 키우면서 내부에서는 보수적 색채가 점차 번져 가고 있다. (As the Democratic Party of Korea has grown into a 163-seat "super ruling party" in the 21st general elections, conservative colors are gradually deepening inside.)
7. http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/assembly/957594.html?_fr=mt1
8. The Democratic Party of Korea is described as a centrist party by numerous sources:
   • "Democratic Party of Korea". Britannica. Democratic Party of Korea (DP), Korean Daeburo Minjudang, centrist-liberal political party in South Korea.
   • Andrew Walter (31 October 2019). "Political Populism: Eroding Asia's Complex Interdependence?" (PDF). Nanyang Technological University. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s centrist-liberal Democratic Party has also reflected and tactically deployed the considerable popular nationalist sentiment in South Korean society as he vowed in early August that in the escalating bilateral trade dispute the country would “never again lose to Japan”.
   • "South Korea: Economic and Political Outline". Santander. July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019. The Minjoo Party: centre, socially liberal main opposition party, result of a 2014 merger between the Democratic Party and the New Political Vision Party, first party in the Parliament since August 2017
   • "The substance of a Korean Green New Deal is still being defined". Chinadialogue.net. 1 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 of Korea (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".
   • "The Justice Party and the South Korean Left: A movement with potential, but divided and struggling". Europe Elects. 14 November 2019. With most of national politics dominated by the centrist Democratic Party and the right-wing Liberty Korea Party (자유한국당), successor to the former governing Saenuri Party, there is little space for the Justice Party to find an opening for electoral success.
   • Ahn, JH (19 September 2016). "South Korea split over whether to aid "arch-nemesis" in flood relief". NK news.org. 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.
   • "North Korean dissident Thae Yong-ho running for seat in South Korean parliament". AsiaNews. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020. The conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP), the main opposition to President Moon Jae-in and his centrist Democratic Party, made the announcement today
9. • "Moon Jae-in: South Korean liberal claims presidency". BBC. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2019. Mr Moon, of the centre-left Democratic Party, unsuccessfully ran against Ms Park in 2012 elections.
   • "South Koreans set to continue backing President Moon's agenda in local elections". Foreign Brief. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2019. his centre-left Democratic Party of Korea is expected to make major political gains
10. Park, Cheoljoong (16 March 2014). 바다파랑 '새정치민주연합', 썩지 않는 바다처럼 (in Korean). News1. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
11. Park, Seung-ju (19 October 2016). 더민주, 오늘 원외 민주당 통합...'민주당' 이름 되찾는다 (in Korean). News1. Retrieved 19 October 2016.".
12. "Main Opposition To Be Called 'The Minjoo Party Of Korea'". tbs.seoul.kr. Traffic Broadcasting System. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
13. Choi, He-suk (20 March 2014). 새정치민주연합 영문 당명 확정 (in Korean). The Korea Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
14. "Democratic Party, Ahn Cheol-soo agree to create new party". The Dong-A Ilbo. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
15. "Co-chairmen quit amid election rubble". Korea JoongAng Daily. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
16. "Main opposition party picks ex-Roh aide as new leader".
17. "Roh son's speech creates stir". The Korea Times. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
18. "In liberal stronghold, voters give main opposition party a lashing". The Hankyoreh. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
19. "NPAD supporters wish for troika". Korea JoongAng Daily. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
20. "Ahn rejects Moon's call for joint NPAD leadership". The Korea Herald. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
21. "NPAD's Moon rejects Ahn demand". Korea JoongAng Daily. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
22. "Ahn Cheol-soo calls it quits with NPAD". The Korea Times. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
23. "Kim departs party he co-founded". Korea JoongAng Daily. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
24. "Ahn vows to move forward as 3rd political force". The Korea Herald. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
25. "Former Kim DJ aide exits Minjoo Party". The Korea Herald. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
26. "Ahn Cheol-Soo, Chun Jung-Bae To Create New Party". TBS eFM. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
27. "Moon Jae-in steps down as leader of The Minjoo Party of Korea". The Hankyoreh. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
28. "Minjoo's identity must be changed: Kim Chong-in". Korea JoongAng Daily. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
29. "South Koreans go to the polls in parliamentary election". Business Insider. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
30. "Can a Right Wing Defector Save Korea's Liberal Opposition?". The Diplomat. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
31. "South Korean president replaces minister, 6 Cabinet members". United Press International. 19 July 1989. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
32. "Former P.M. quits Minjoo Party in nomination feud". The Korea Herald. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
33. "Kim Jong-in Gets Rid of Pro-Roh Dominance and Replaces the Mainstream: Signs of Factional Conflict". The Kyunghyang Shinmun. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
34. "Opposition chief quells dissenters". The Korea Herald. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
35. "Opposition party shifting to growth". The Korea Times. 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
36. 강령·당헌·당규·윤리규범 (in Korean). Democratic Party of Korea. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
37. Farand, Chloé (16 April 2020). "South Korea to implement Green New Deal after ruling party election win". Climate Change News. Climate Home News Ltd. Retrieved 16 April 2020.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)