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. Political parties have a chance of gaining power alone.
Current parties
Parties represented in the National Assembly
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Extra-parliamentary parties
Conservative parties
- Revolution Party (혁명21당)
- Liberty Party (자유당)
- Republican Party of South Korea (공화당)
- Pro-Park New Party (친박신당)
- Our Republican Party (우리공화당)
- Dawn of Liberty (자유의새벽당)
- Korean National Party (한국국민당)
- Saenuri Party (2017) (새누리당)
- Hannara Party (2014) (한나라당)
- All Citizen's Participatory Party (가가국민참여신당)
- Gana! The Anti-Communist Party of Korea (가나반공정당코리아)
- The Christian Party (기독당)
- Korean Independence Party (한국독립당)
- Every House Public Election Grand Party (가가호호공명선거대한당)
- Liberty Democratic Party (자유민주당)
- New Korean Peninsula Party (신한반도당)
- Korean People's Party (대한국민당) [15]
- People's Grand United Party (국민대통합당)[16]
- National Solidarity for National Unity (국민통합연대) [17]
- Future Korean Peninsula Party (한반도미래당)
- People's Future Party (국민의미래), A satellite party of the ruling People Power.
Centrist (or conservative liberal) parties
- Hongik Party (홍익당)
- Let's Go! Peace and Human Rights Party (가자!평화인권당)
- Let's Go! Environmental Party (가자환경당)
- Elders' Welfare Party (노인복지당)
- Korean Wave Alliance Party (한류연합당)
- Party for People's Livelihood (민생당)
- People's Policy Party (국민정책당)
Liberal parties
- Awakened Civic Solidarity Party (깨어있는시민연대당)
- Republic of Korea Party (대한민국당)
- K-Political Innovation Union Party (K정치혁신연합당)
- Open Democratic Party (열린민주당), a recreation of the now-dissolved Open Democratic Party, which merged with the Democratic Party on 12 January 2022.
- Korea's Farmer and Fisherman's Party (한국농어민당)
- Pine Tree Party (소나무당)
Progressive parties
- Labor Party (노동당)
- Green Party (녹색당)
- Our Future (미래당)
- National Sovereignty Party(국민주권당)
- Social Democratic Party (사회민주당)
Single-issue parties
- Women's Party (여성의당)
- People's Democracy Party (민중민주당)
- Small and Medium-sized Businesses and Self-employed Peoples' Party (중소자영업당)
- Party for the Abolition of Special Privileges (가락특권폐지당), 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
Unknown stances, third position, or syncretic parties
- National Revolutionary Party (국가혁명당)
- United Korean People's Party (통일한국당), Samgyun-ist party, where republican and nationalist political thought merge.[18]
- Towards Tomorrow, Towards the Future (내일로미래로), an electoral alliance party
of 10 minor conservative parties. Formerly known as the Chungcheong's Future Party. (2020-2023)
- Taegon Party (태건당), a pseudo-religious party created from the Dragon Empire religious cult. [citation needed]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Nation Party 핵나라당 | 5 October 2023 | Jeong Hui-won | 5 April 2024 | A Hitlerite party that has submitted its attempted registration for the 7th time[19] |
| The People's Judgement 국민의심판 | 3 November 2023 | Kim Pil-gyu | 3 May 2024 | |
| The People's Sentiment 민심동행 | 6 November 2023 | Shin In-kyu | 6 May 2024 | Created from anti-Yoon conservatives. |
| Abolish Special Privileges Party 특권폐지당 | 4 December 2023 | Jang Gi-pyo | 4 June 2024 | Single-issue party aimed at abolishing the law stating that lawmakers cannot be prosecuted while a sitting lawmaker unless approval from two-thirds of parliament. |
| Financial Reform Party 금융개혁당 | 17 January 2024 | Shin Mi-sook | 16 June 2024 | |
| Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Party 대한상공인당 | 5 February 2024 | Jeong Jae-hoon | 5 August 2024 | Represents the rights of small business owners , self-employed people , small and medium-sized enterprises , and merchants , as well as socially and policy-vulnerable groups such as youth , the disabled , and North Korean defectors. |
| Pine Tree Party 소나무당 | 13 Feb 2024 | Song Young-gil | 13 August 2024 | A party created by former Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil. |
| K-Politics Alliance K정치연합 | 14 February 2024 | Ryu Jong-yeol | 14 August 2024 | |
| Korean People's Peace Party 한민족평화당 | 16 February 2024 | Do Cheon-soo | 16 August 2024 | |
| Direct Democratic Local Self-Governing Party 직접민주지역자치당 | 27 February 2024 | Im Hyeong-tae | 27 August 2024 | A unified national party of multiple regional parties, as the Constitution of the Republic of Korea does not allow for local or regionalist political parties. |
Defunct parties
Conservative parties
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)
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 (공화당) (2014–2020), merged with Christian Liberal Unification Party (기독자유통일당) to form National Revolutionary Party (국민혁명당).
- Uri Party (2021)
- Free Korea 21 (2016–2021), formerly Korea Economic Party, merged with Liberty Democratic Party.
- Ahn Cheol-soo's People's Party (2020–2022), merged with the People Power.
- Pro-Park Coalition (친박연대) (2012–2022)
- Future Korean Peninsula Union (한반도미래연합) (2016–2022)
Liberal parties
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 (새로운물결 - 오징어당) (2021-2022)[20]
- Transition Korea (2020-2023), merged into conservative People Power.[21]
- Hope of Korea (2023-2024), merged into Lee Jun-seok's New Reform Party.
Progressive parties
- 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)[22]
- People's United Party (2016–2017)
- New People's Party (2017)
- Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party,[a] merged with Labor Party. (2016–2022)[23]
Green parties
- Korea Greens (2004–2008)
Unknown or syncretic parties
- New Han People's Peninsula Peace Party (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. (2021-2023)
- Functional Self-Employment Party (직능자영업당), (single-issue) merged into Towards Tomorrow, Towards the Future. (2020-2024)
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
- The present state of registered political parties[permanent dead link], National Election Commission of S. Korea.
- The present state of political parties registration, National Election Commission of S. Korea, May 29, 2008.