The Liberal Party () was a

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

corporatist Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...

and

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

political party 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 ...

established in 1951 by

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (, ; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965) was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Ko ...

History

As the 1952 presidential elections neared, Rhee made public his intention to organize a party during his August 15 Speech in 1951. Rhee called Yi Bum-seok, then the ambassador in China, and charged him with creating the Liberal Party. Yi used the strong organizational base of "

Korean National Youth Association The Korean National Youth Association () abbreviated as Jokcheong () was a fascist, extreme right-wing group founded on October 9, 1946 under the catchphrase 'national branch, national geography', and led by Lee Beom-seok (prime minister), Lee ...

" () as a starting point and incorporated the major five organizations: "

National Association for the Rapid Realisation of Korean Independence The National Association was a political party in South Korea. History Syngman Rhee established the Central Committee for the Rapid Realisation of Korean Independence in October 1945, shortly after he had returned from exile. As a result of wi ...

" (), "Korean Federation of Labor" (), "Peasant Federation" (), and "Korean Council of Wives" () as temporary sub-organizations under the Liberal Party.

Ideology

Although the name "Liberal Party" is used, it is not the traditional definition as used in the West. For example, the Liberal Party advocated for ''

Ilminism Ilminism (;), frequently translated as the One-People Principle, One-People Doctrine, or Unidemism, was the political ideology of South Korea under its first President, Syngman Rhee. The ''Ilminist'' principle has been likened by contemporary sch ...

'' and viewed Western-style

liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostilit ...

and

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...

negatively, instead suggesting the need for "Korean-style liberal democracy". One of the main values of Ilminism was the ''

Hongik Ingan Hongik Ingan () is the official educational motto of South Korea. The phrase can be translated to English as "To broadly benefit the human world". Hongik Ingan is the founding idea of Gojoseon and is known as the first concept founded by Dangu ...

'', based on

traditional conservatism Traditionalist conservatism, often known as classical conservatism, is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of transcendent moral principles, manifested through certain natural laws to which society should adhere ...

, and the Students Protection Corps, which is said to be similar to '' Hitlerjugend''. To this day, the term "liberal democracy" () in South Korea is still used in a similar sense to "anti-communist system" or "free world against communism" by the conservative camp of South Korea, rather than the same meaning as Western

liberal democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...

Ahn Ho-sang Ahn or AHN may refer to: People * Ahn (Korean surname), a Korean family name occasionally Romanized as ''An'' * Ahn Byeong-keun (born 1962, ), South Korean judoka * Ahn Eak-tai (1906–1965, ), Korean composer and conductor * Ahn Jung-hwan (born 1 ...

and Lee Beom-seok, the founders of ''Ilminism'', were influenced by

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...

, Shōwa Statism, and Italian Fascism. In particular, Ahn Ho-sang is known as the most conservative and extreme nationalist in the modern history of South Korea. This may be confusing as Japan was largely viewed negatively by South Koreans at the time, and arguably still in present day, but both

and Lee Beom-seok admired only the political and nationalist aspects of

Imperial Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

whilst opposing those regimes. The Liberal Party put forward "

and anti-Japanese" () as its national values during its reign. At the same time, however, the Liberal Party showed a very pro-American tendency, so it was closer to

right-wing populism Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Estab ...

than resistance nationalism. The Liberal Party supported a discriminatory policy against "

hwagyo A recognizable community of Chinese people in Korea has existed since the 1880s, and are often known as Hwagyo. Over 90% of early Chinese migrants came from Shandong province on the east coast of China. These ethnic Chinese residents in Korea of ...

" () based on Korean ethnic supremacy and anti-PRC. Due to the historical political position of the far-right

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

"Liberal Party", so far, South Korea's center-left liberal () political forces have resulted in calling themselves liberals () but avoiding direct use of the party name "Liberal Party" ().

Election results

President

Vice President

Legislature

House of Representatives

House of Councillors

Notes

References

{{SouthKorea-party-stub 1951 establishments in South Korea Anti-Chinese sentiment in Korea Anti-communism in South Korea Anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea Conservative parties in South Korea Corporatism Defunct far-right parties Defunct nationalist parties Defunct political parties in South Korea Far-right politics in South Korea National conservative parties Political parties established in 1951 Syngman Rhee