Progressivism In South Korea
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Progressivism () in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
is broadly associated with
social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
,
cultural progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...
and
left-wing nationalism Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism, also known as social nationalism, is a form of nationalism based upon national self-determination, popular sovereignty, national self-interest, and left-wing political positions such as social equali ...
. South Korea's "
progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...
" is often used in a similar sense to 'South Korean Left' or 'leftist'. Historically, there have been
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
forces, but most of them have been powerless in South Korean politics.


History


''Hyukshinkye''

South Korea's early left-wing forces were mainly divided into 'communist' and 'non-communist'. At that time, South Korean non-communist leftists were mainly called ''Hyukshinkye'' (). At that time, it was politically repressed by both centre-right
liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
and far-right ultra-conservatives. In particular, the Korean War led to a significant weakening as some of the ''Hyukshinkye'' were also driven to communism. After the forced dissolution of the
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...
led by
Cho Bong-am Cho Bong-am (, 25 September 1898 โ€“ 31 July 1959) was a South Korean independence activist and politician, who ran for president in the South Korean presidential election in 1956. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Korea (์กฐ์„ ...
in 1958, it virtually collapsed politically. Progressive parties, including the United Socialist Party led by Kim Chul, continued the tradition of ''Hyukshinkye'', but its power was minimal, and since the 1980s, ''Hyukshinkye''s tradition has been completely cut off from power as Kim Chul and other key figures have shifted to pro-
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
conservative stances.


PD and NL

The
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
remained silent about the massacres in Gwangju by new-military coup forces in the 1980s, and backed the
Chun Doo-hwan Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 โ€“ 23 November 2021) was a South Korean Republic of Korea Army, army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected Political strongman, strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah ...
government. This served as an opportunity for some of the democratization movement forces in South Korea to develop
anti-American sentiment Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment) is prejudice, fear, or hatred of the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Political scientist Brendon O'Connor at the United States Studies Cen ...
. As a result, some of South Korea's moderate liberal pro-democratization activists gradually accepted
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
and became more left-wing. During this period, the left-wing movement in South Korea was largely divided into Minjungminju-wing () and Minjokhaebang-wing (). After the collapse of the Cold War in the 1990s, they moderated their tendencies than in the past to form a political party named Democratic Force. PD was a Western-style leftist party, influenced by
American liberalism Liberalism in the United States is a political and moral philosophy based on concepts of unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, the separation of chu ...
,
social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
and
Soviet communism The ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was Bolshevist Marxismโ€“Leninism, an ideology of a centralised command economy with a vanguardist one-party state to realise the dictatorship of the proletariat. The Soviet Union's ...
, while NL was a
left-wing nationalist Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism, also known as social nationalism, is a form of nationalism based upon national self-determination, popular sovereignty, national self-interest, and left-wing political positions such as social equali ...
party that mixed South Korean indigenous ideas, radical reunificationism and social progressivism. PD and NL are political terms that refer to the two pillars of South Korea's progressive camp and are still frequently used today. As of now, the representative PD-affiliated progressive party is the Justice Party, and the representative NL-affiliated progressive party is the
Minjung Party The Progressive Party (), known as the Minjung Party () until June 2020, is a left-wing nationalist political party in South Korea. The party was formed by the merger of the New People's Party and People's United Party on 15 October 2017. ...
.


''Shinjwapa''

After the collapse of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in the 1990s, the
New Left The New Left was a broad political movement mainly in the 1960s and 1970s consisting of activists in the Western world who campaigned for a broad range of social issues such as civil and political rights, environmentalism, feminism, gay rights, g ...
movement in Europe and the United States and postmodernist discourse became known, creating a ''Shinjwapa'' () in South Korea. They advocate
youth rights The youth rights movement (also known as youth liberation) seeks to grant the rights to young people that are traditionally reserved for adults, due to having reached a specific age or sufficient maturity. This is closely akin to the notion ...
,
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdictionโ€”encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...
and
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
. Currently, South Korea's representative ''Shinjwapa'' parties include the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
and
Basic Income Party The Basic Income Party (, BIP) is a single-issue political party in South Korea advocating for a universal basic income (UBI). History The Basic Income Party came into existence when the ninth leadership board of the Labor Party led by Yon ...
.


Socialism in South Korea

South Korea's 'legitimate' socialist movement is considered part of South Korean progressivism. But not all progressives are socialists, so the two need to be distinguished.


Progressive parties


''Gujwapa'' (Old Left)


Communist or far-left socialist

*
Workers' Party of South Korea The Workers' Party of South Korea ( ko, ๋‚จ์กฐ์„ ๋กœ๋™๋‹น) was a communist party in South Korea from 1946 to 1949. It was founded on 23 November 1946 through the merger of the Communist Party of South Korea, New People's Party of Korea and a fa ...
(1946โ€“1953; banned) * Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front โ†’ National Democratic Front of South Korea โ†’ Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front (1969โ€“; banned) * Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party โ†’ Labor Party (2016โ€“2022; unregistered; merged) *
People's Democracy Party People's Democracy Party ( tr, Halkฤฑn Demokrasi Partisi, HADEP) was a Kurdish political party in Turkey. Murat Bozlak founded the party on 11 May 1994. The party disbanded in 2003. History Bozlak's first chairmanship Party founder and att ...
(2016โ€“)


''Hyukshinkye'' (Innovation-faction)

* Preparatory Committee for National Construction โ†’ People's Party of Korea โ†’ People's Labor Party (1945โ€“1950) *
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
(1951โ€“1953) *
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...
(1956โ€“1958; banned) *
United Socialist Party of Korea The United Socialist Party of Korea was a Left-wing political party in South Korea. The party was founded in the spring of 1961, through the merger of two groups.Kemseke, Peter van. Towards an Era of Development: The Globalization of Socialism an ...
(1961โ€“1967; banned 1961โ€“1966)


''Minjungminju'' (PD)

* The People's Party (1990โ€“1992) * People's Victory 21 โ†’ Democratic Labor Party (1997โ€“2011) * Youth Progressive Party โ†’ Socialist Party โ†’ Hope Socialist Party โ†’ Korea Socialist Party โ†’ Socialist Party (1998โ€“2012) * New Progressive Party (2008โ€“2012) *
Unified Progressive Party The Unified Progressive Party (UPP; ko, ํ†ตํ•ฉ์ง„๋ณด๋‹น, RR: ''Tonghap Jinbo-dang'', Hanja: ็ตฑๅˆ้€ฒๆญฅ้ปจ) is a banned political party in South Korea. It was founded on 5 December 2011 as a merger of the Democratic Labor Party, the People ...
(2011โ€“2012) * Progressive Justice Party โ†’ Justice Party (2012โ€“) - However, there are a few ''Minjokhaebang'' and ''Shinjwapa'' factions in the Justice Party. * Labor Party (2013โ€“) * Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party โ†’ Labor Party (2016โ€“2022; unregistered; merged)


''Minjokhaebang'' (NL)

* People's Victory 21 โ†’ Democratic Labor Party (1997โ€“2011) *
Unified Progressive Party The Unified Progressive Party (UPP; ko, ํ†ตํ•ฉ์ง„๋ณด๋‹น, RR: ''Tonghap Jinbo-dang'', Hanja: ็ตฑๅˆ้€ฒๆญฅ้ปจ) is a banned political party in South Korea. It was founded on 5 December 2011 as a merger of the Democratic Labor Party, the People ...
(2011โ€“2014; banned)Yonhap News Agency, December 19, 2014

"...South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the dissolution of a pro-North Korean minor opposition party..."
* People's United Party (South Korea), People's United Party (2016โ€“2017) * New People's Party (2017) * Minjung Party โ†’ Progressive Party (2017โ€“)


''Shinjwapa'' (New Left)

*
Green Party Korea Green Party Korea is a political party in South Korea. The party was established in March 2012. It is a continuation of the Korea Greens, created following initial discussions in 2011. The party was established in response to the Fukushima ...
(2012โ€“) * Our Future (2017โ€“) *
Basic Income Party The Basic Income Party (, BIP) is a single-issue political party in South Korea advocating for a universal basic income (UBI). History The Basic Income Party came into existence when the ninth leadership board of the Labor Party led by Yon ...
(2020-)


Progressive-liberal

*
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy ...
(1956โ€“1958) * People's Party (1988) *
Hankyoreh Democratic Party The Hankyoreh Democratic Party (, HDP) was a political party of South Korea from 1988 to 1991. History The party was formed in 1988 as the alternative for 2 main oppositions โ€• Reunification Democratic Party and Peace Democratic Party. The origi ...
(1988โ€“1991) * Popular Party (1989โ€“1992) * Participation Party (2010โ€“2011) *
Unified Progressive Party The Unified Progressive Party (UPP; ko, ํ†ตํ•ฉ์ง„๋ณด๋‹น, RR: ''Tonghap Jinbo-dang'', Hanja: ็ตฑๅˆ้€ฒๆญฅ้ปจ) is a banned political party in South Korea. It was founded on 5 December 2011 as a merger of the Democratic Labor Party, the People ...
(2011โ€“2012) * Justice Party (2012โ€“) :* Peace and Justice (2018) *
Basic Income Party The Basic Income Party (, BIP) is a single-issue political party in South Korea advocating for a universal basic income (UBI). History The Basic Income Party came into existence when the ninth leadership board of the Labor Party led by Yon ...
(2020โ€“)


Progressive media

*
OhmyNews OhmyNews (Hangul: ์˜ค๋งˆ์ด๋‰ด์Šค) is a South Korean online news website with the motto "Every Citizen is a Reporter". It was founded by Oh Yeon Ho on February 22, 2000. It is the first news website in Korea to accept, edit and publish article ...
- liberal-leaning bias * Pressian - progressive * Voice of the People - progressive, resistance nationalism * Yeoseong Shinmun - feminism


Progressive personalities

*
Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho (, ; Hanja: ๅฅ‰ไฟŠๆ˜Š; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of four Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social themes, genre-mixing, black h ...
*
Ha-Joon Chang Ha-Joon Chang (; ; born 7 October 1963) is a South Korean institutional economist, specialising in development economics. Chang is the author of several widely discussed policy books, most notably ''Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strateg ...
* *
Hong Sehwa Hong Sehwa is a South Korean journalist and former New Progressive Party delegate. He is known as a representative South Korean socialist. Hong criticizes imperialism and nationalism, according to the socialist perspective. Critical of anti- ...
*
Hong Seok-cheon Hong Seok-cheon (born February 3, 1971) is a South Korean actor, television personality, restaurateur and member of the dissolved Democratic Labor Party. He caused considerable controversy in his home country when he came out as gay in 2000, an ...
* Jang Hye-young * Kwon In-sook *
Lee Hyori Lee Hyo-ri (; born May 10, 1979) is a South Korean singer, record producer, activist, actress and television presenter. Dubbed as the "Nation's Fairy" during her ''Family Outing'' days, she debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Fin.K.L ...
* * * Lyuh Woon-hyung *
Rhyu Si-min Rhyu Si-min (; born July 28, 1959) is a South Korean politician who served as the 44th Minister of Health and Welfare from February 2006 to May 2007. Before starting his political career since August 2002, he was a journalist of ''Dong-a Ilbo' ...
*
Roh Hoe-chan Roh Hoe-chan ( ko, ๋…ธํšŒ์ฐฌ, 31 August 1956 โ€“ 23 July 2018) was a South Korean politician. He was a member of the 17th, 19th, and 20th National Assemblies. Roh was involved with multiple progressive-leaning parties, lately with the Justice ...
*
Ryu Ho-jeong Ryu Ho-jeong ( ko, ๋ฅ˜ํ˜ธ์ •, born 9 August 1992) is a South Korean politician. She was a member of the National Assembly of South Korea, National Assembly representing the Justice Party (South Korea), Justice Party. She was elected for the fir ...
* Pak Noja *
Shin Hae-chul Shin Hae-chul (Hangul: ์‹ ํ•ด์ฒ ; May 6, 1968 โ€“ October 27, 2014) was a South Korean singer-songwriter and record producer known for being a pioneer of Korean experimental rock music. He was referred to by fans as the "Demon Lord" or "The Dev ...
*
Sim Sang-jung Sim Sang-jung (born 20 February 1959) is a South Korean politician and labor rights activist. She was one of the five major presidential candidates in the 2017 South Korean presidential election, running as the Justice Party's nominee. She agai ...
*
Yun Hyon-seok Yun Hyon-seok (; August 7, 1984 โ€“ April 26, 2003) was a South Korean LGBT poet, writer, and activist. He wrote under the pen names Yook Woo Dang (์œก์šฐ๋‹น, , ''home of six friends'') and Seolheon (), and was also known by his nickname Midong ...


Major progressive parties election results of South Korea


Presidential elections


Legislative elections


Local elections


See also

*
Conservatism in South Korea Conservatism () in South Korea is chiefly associated with the People Power Party (South Korea). Traditional South Korean conservatism is a political and social philosophy characterized by Korean culture traditions originating from Confucianism. ...
*
Feminism in South Korea Feminism in South Korea is the origin and history of the movement of feminism or women's rights in South Korea. Women's suffrage in South Korea was included in Article 11 of the national constitution in 1948. The constitution says "all citizens ...
*
Identity politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...
- One of the main factors in distinguishing between the liberal and progressive camps in South Korea. (Those who support identity politics are classified as progressives.) *
Left-wing nationalism Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism, also known as social nationalism, is a form of nationalism based upon national self-determination, popular sovereignty, national self-interest, and left-wing political positions such as social equali ...
(left-wing) ** '' Juchesasangpa'' (far-left) *
Liberalism in South Korea This article gives an overview of Liberalism () in South Korea. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proven by having had a representation in parliament. Historically, the liberal movement in the South Korean began ...
**
Progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
-
liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
*
LGBT rights in South Korea Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in South Korea face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBT individuals. While male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Korea, marriage or other for ...
*
List of political parties in South Korea This article lists political parties in South Korea. South Korea has a weakly institutionalized multi-party system, characterized by frequent changes in party arrangements. Political parties have a chance of gaining power alone. Current parties ...
*
Socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
**
Democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self- ...
(left-wing) **
Social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
(centre-left to left-wing) * ''
Undongkwon Undongkwon or Undonggwon, which refers to "the movement sphere" in Korean, is a term associated with the Minjung movement in South Korea during the 1970s and the 1980s. The Minjung movement was a social movement that recognized the people who wer ...
''


Notes


References

{{South Korean political parties Political history of South Korea Environmentalism in South Korea Left-wing nationalism in South Korea