Liberalism in South Korea

Introduction

In South Korea, the term "liberalism" generally refers to classical liberalism.{{cite news|url=https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/opinion/column/941927.html#csidx66d1a76274da179b042203cab2a6840 |title=코로나 이후의 자유주의 / 전범선 |trans-title=Liberalism after COVID-19 / Chun Beom-sun |quote=... 코로나는 각국의 위기관리 능력에 대한 시험이다. 성적표는 분명하다. 서양은 실패했고 동양은 선방했다. 미국이 꼴등이고 한국은 우등생이다. 어찌 된 걸까. ... 그런데 서양이야말로 민주주의의 원조 아닌가. 그들이 패배한 원인은 무엇일까. 자유주의다. 신자유주의 경제 체제의 모순도 있지만, 그보다 자유주의적 정치 문화의 영향이 크다. 영국 총리 보리스 존슨이 집단면역을 들먹이던 때부터 알아봤다. ... 트럼프는 더하다. 민주당 주지사들이 펼치는 봉쇄 정책을 비꼬며 지지자들에게 “미시간을 해방하라! 미네소타를 해방하라! 버지니아를 해방하라!” 선동했다. ... 백년 전 대공황 때도 자유주의의 위기가 도래했다. ... 민주주의와 자유주의의 모순을 명심하자. 전자는 국가가 국민의 말을 듣는 것이고 후자는 국민이 국가의 말을 안 듣는 것이다. 둘은 엄연히 다르고 충돌한다. 자유민주주의란 둘의 균형을 잡는 과정이다. ... 대한민국은 이제 명실공히 민주주의 모범국이다. 하지만 진정한 자유주의적 문화를 가져본 적은 없다고 단언한다. 정부의 선진적인 방역정책에 협조하되, 코로나 이후 되찾을 자유, 쟁취할 자유를 끝없이 갈망하자. |trans-quote=... Corona is a test of each country's crisis management capabilities. The report card is obvious. The West failed and the East defended well. The United States is last and Korea is an honor student. What happened? ... But isn't the West the origin of democracy? What is the cause of their defeat? It is liberalism. There are also contradictions in the neoliberal economic system, but the influence of liberal political culture is greater than that. I've been looking into British Prime Minister Boris Johnson since he mentioned collective immunity. ... Trump is more. sarcastically speaking of the containment policies implemented by Democratic governors, he told supporters, "Liberate Michigan! Liberate Minnesota! Liberate Virginia!" agitated ... Even during the Great Depression a hundred years ago, it was a crisis caused by liberalism. ... Let's keep in mind the contradictions between democracy and liberalism. The former is for the state to listen to the people, and the latter is for the people to not listen to the state. The two are distinctly different and collide. Liberal democracy is the process of balancing the two. ... The Republic of Korea is now a model country for democracy in name and reality. But I affirm that we have never had a true liberal culture. Let's cooperate with the government's advanced quarantine policies, but endlessly crave the freedom (liberal) to regain after COVID-19 and the freedom (liberal) to win. ... |language=ko |work=The Hankyoreh |date=25 April 2020 |access-date=30 October 2021}} In South Korea, the labels "liberal" () and "liberal democracy" () are often claimed by conservatives to denote economic liberalism and anti-communism. Liberals, particularly those with left-leaning views, often use terms like "democrats", "ribuhruhl" (, the Korean pronunciation of "liberal") or "democratic camp" () to set themselves apart from conservatives.

In South Korea, liberals and progressives are political forces with individual traditions, but American liberalism is often translated as progressivism in the Korean language. The Justice Party officially supports social democracy, but since it is a party that inherited the political stake of the Uri Party, it is regarded as part of the South Korean progressive political party tradition and at the same time as part of the liberal political party tradition.

In South Korea, the terms "liberal," "liberty," "libertarian," and "freedom" all tend to be translated into Jayu (). For example, in South Korea, both Canada's "Liberal Party", Netherlands' "Party for Freedom" and the United States' "Libertarian Party" are read as Jayudang () in Korean. Also, right-wing socially conservative media in South Korea regard the American tradition of right-libertarianism as progressive because it is culturally liberal.{{cite news|url=https://www.donga.com/news/Inter/article/all/20201031/103724618/1

The main diplomatic point that defines liberalism in South Korea is "independence" (독립). Modern South Korean liberals tend to be more negative on immigration than the conservatives. South Korean liberals have a more nationalistic nature based on anti-imperialism in matters related to neighboring powers such as Japan. The anti-China Gaehwa Party / Independence Club at the end of the 19th century, and the anti-Japan Korean independence movement during the Japanese colonial era, formed Korea's early liberalism. On the other hand, Korea's conservative elites cooperated with neighboring powers such as Qing China and Japan for practical reasons. In modern South Korean politics, where socialism and anti-Americanism were thoroughly suppressed by conservatives with the support of the United States, liberals resent domestic interference by foreign powers. Thus, while they maintain cordial relations with the United States, they also seek to exercise strategic autonomy in its foreign policy.

South Korean liberals tends to take a nuanced and pragmatic stance towards China and Russia, preferring cooperation to promote peace on the peninsula. Thus, they tend to be more reluctant to take a strong stance on controversial issues such as the issue of Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea. On the campaign trail, Lee Jae-myung questioned South Korean relevance in the Taiwan Strait issue. President Moon Jae-in stated that South Korea will not take sides in US-China rivalry.

South Korean liberals have represented Korean victims of Japanese war crimes since the 1990s. They oppose any agreement or cooperation with Japan until the Japanese government issues formal apologies to Korean victims and demonstrate sincere reflections on the horrors of the Japanese occupation of Korea. President Moon Jae-in stated the human rights of victims are more important than relations between countries.

South Korean liberals have a contradictory standard on international human rights violations. South Korean liberals are less critical of North Korea than conservatives and oppose the 'North Korean Human Rights Law' (북한인권법).{{cite news|url=https://www.rfa.org/korean/in_focus/human_rights_defector/nkhr-06102011114338.html

South Korean major liberals mainly criticize mainstream conservatives, distancing themselves from any heritage and relationship with the military dictatorship, insist on political reform and the rule of law, supporting the foreign policy of reconciliation with North Korea. They are distinguished from progressives and cultural liberals. South Korea liberals tend to be socially conservative in LGBT rights, Disability rights, abortion and minority rights issues. (The socially conservative tendency of South Korean liberals is not traditional conservatism based on Confucianism, but is more influenced by Christianity.) They also tend to distance themselves from the (Including social democracy) "socialism" or fundamental "left-wing". Modern South Korean liberals tend to be more negative on immigration than the conservatives.

Domestically, they advocated the reform of the monopoly of the large industrial conglomerates known as chaebols. They also proposed the curtailing of investigative powers of the prosecutor's office, with such powers transferred to the police, as they viewed them as powerful political tools.

History

During the colonial period, Marxist historian Paek Nam-un evaluated Silhak as "pioneer of early modern period liberalism," while Ahn Jae-hong, a liberal nationalist, evaluated Silhak and Silhak scholar Chŏng Yagyong as "the origin of late modern period liberalism by presenting elimination of (feudal) class and support for equality". Silhak criticized the existing Confucian conservatism and Sadaejuui, aiming for political reform and pragmatism, and also argued for the superiority of Western science and technology. Some Silhak scholar also believed in Christianity.

Korea's first classical liberal and Enlightenmentists party was the Gaehwa Party, which appeared in 1874. They aimed for radical political and social reform, cut off unequal relations with the powerful Qing Dynasty and tried to create a completely independent Joseon Dynasty, and led by Seo Jae-pil in 1896 was a practical successor to the Gaehwa Party. Influenced by Japanese liberalism, they showed pro-Japanese tendencies, but at the same time insisted on independent Korea. In the 1900s, classical liberals and Enlightenmentists in Korea were largely divided into two groups. Some became Chinilpa who cooperated with Japan, and others who devoted themselves to the Korean independence movement.

During the colonial era, Korean liberalism is closely related to the Korean independence movement. South Korean historians say that the March 1st Movement, which took place in 1919, affected democracy and liberalism in South Korea as a movement involving many Koreans regardless of gender, religion, or occupation. The Republic of Korean Provisional Government, established thanks to the value of the March 1st Movement, has established a modern national system in name and reality by introducing the separation of powers of government, parliament, and judiciary based on freedom and equality, and common elections including women. (However, since it was located in Shanghai, China, it was more of a Korean independence movement organization than a korean government.)

After the end of Japanese colonial rule, with the inauguration of the Republic of Korea government, the word "liberal" has been used in South Korea for a while in a similar sense to anti-communism and anti-socialism. That is why not only ideological liberals but also hard-line conservatives and far-right anti-communists called themselves "liberal." A case in point was the "Liberal Party", a South Korean far-right national-conservative party influenced by Shōwa Statism, German and Italian fascism. In particular, Syngman Rhee, the first president of the Liberal Party, committed authoritarian rule and election fraud based on Ilminism, an anti-liberal individual worship ideology from 1948 to 1960, and liberals and students who opposed it caused April Revolution. This was the first successful liberal revolution in South Korea.

Liberal parties

The political party that once were ruling party are in bold.

Before 1945

• Gaehwa Party
• Independence Club
• New People's Association
• Korean Provisional Government

Minjudangkye tradition

In South Korea, South Korean's unique liberal and korean nationalist parties are often referred to as Minjudangkye parties (). In South Korea, usually "liberal" political parties mean "Minjudangkye" parties.

Mainstream parties

• Christian Social Democratic Party → Korea Democratic Party (1945–1949)
• Democratic Nationalist Party (1949–1955)
• Democratic Party (1955–1961; Governing period: 1960–1961)
• New Democratic Party → Civil Rights Party → Civilian's Party (1960–1967; Governing period: 1961–1962)
• New Democratic Party (1967–1980)
• Democratic Korea Party (1981–1988)
  • New Korean Democratic Party → Reunification Democratic Party (1985–1990)
• New Korean Democratic Party (1984–1988)
• Peace Democratic Party → New Democratic Unionist Party (1987–1991)
• Reunification Democratic Party (1987–1990)
• Democratic Party (1991–1995)
• Democratic Party → National Congress for New Politics (1995–2000; Governing period: 1998–2000)
• Millennium Democratic Party → Democratic Party (2000–2008; Governing period: 2000–2003)
• Uri Party (2002–2007; Governing period: 2004–2007)
• Grand Unified Democratic New Party (2007–2008; Governing period: 2007-2008)
• United Democratic Party → Democratic Party (2008–2011)
• Democratic United Party → Democratic Party (2011–2014)
• New Politics Alliance for Democracy → Minjoo Party → Democratic Party (since 2014; Governing period: 2017–2022; since 2025)
  • Platform Party (satellite party for the 2020 election)
  • People's Party (2016–2018, splinter party)
  • Bareunmirae Party (2018–2020, splinter party)
  • Minsaeng Party (since 2020, splinter party)
  • Democratic Alliance of Korea (satellite party for the 2024 election)
  • Korea Innovation Party (since 2024. splinter party)
  • New Future Party (since 2024. splinter party)
  • Pine Tree Party (since 2024. splinter party)

Minor parties

• Democratic Party (1963–1965)
• Liberal Democratic Party (1963–1965)
• National Party (1971)
• Democratic Unification Party (1973–1980)
• Civil Rights Party (1981–1985)
• New Democratic Party (1985)
• Hankyoreh Democratic Party (1988–1991)
• Democratic Party (1990–1991)
• Democratic Party (1995–1997)
• Democratic Party (2007–2008)
• The Participation Party (2010–2011)
• Peace Democratic Party → People's Happiness Party (2010–2012)
• Real Democratic Party (2012)
• New Political Vision Party (2014)
• Minjoo Party (2014–2016)
• Party for Democracy and Peace (2018–2020) :* New Alternatives (2020)
• Open Democratic Party (2020–2022)
• Future Democratic Party (2020)
• Platform Party (2020)
  • Transition Korea (since 2020)
  • Basic Income Party (since 2020)
• New Wave (2021–2022)

Non-Minjudangkye

In South Korea, these political parties are not often referred to as general "liberal" in Korean language, but in an international context, they are clearly referred to as "liberal" political parties.

• Progressive Party (1956–1958)
• Creative Korea Party (2007–2012)
• Unified Progressive Party (2011-2012)
• People Party (2016–2018)
• Korean Welfare Party (since 2016)
• Grand National Unity Party (2017–2018)
• Bareunmirae Party (2018–2020)
• Justice Party (since 2012)
• Dawn of Liberty Party (since 2019)
• Transition Korea (since 2020)
• Basic Income Party (since 2020)
• People Party (2020–2022)
• Minsaeng Party (since 2020)

Liberal media in South Korea

• Hankook Ilbo - centrist, classically liberal
  • The Korea Times (English-language newspapers)
• Kyunghyang Shinmun - centre to centre-left, liberal
• The Hankyoreh - centre-left, socially liberal
  • Cine21 (film magazine)
• OhmyNews - liberal-leaning, progressive liberal

Liberal organizations

In South Korea, 'political liberalism' and 'non-political liberalism' are distinguished. Therefore, the groups listed below may not be directly related to a particular political party or political power.

Civil rights organizations

• ASUNARO: Action for Youth Rights of Korea - Student rights
• Chingusai - LGBT rights
• Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination - Disability rights
• Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea - LGBT rights

Labour organizations

• Federation of Korean Trade Unions
• Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (factions) - There are also non-liberal/socialists within the KCTU.
  • Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (factions)

Nationalist (liberal-nationalist) organizations

• Voluntary Agency Network of Korea

Libertarian organizations

South Korean libertarians define themselves as Jayujuuija (자유주의자). But South Korean center-left liberals also define themselves as Jayujuuija, so it is important in what context the South Korean political term is used

• Center for Free Enterprise - libertarian/conservative

Other

• Korea Democracy Foundation
• Minbyun

Liberal presidents in South Korea

• Yun Bo-seon (Democratic) (1960–1962)
• Kim Dae-jung (National Congress for New Politics→Millennium Democratic Party) (1998–2003)
• Roh Moo-hyun (Millennium Democratic Party→Uri Party→United New Democratic Party) (2003–2008)
• Moon Jae-in (Democratic) (2017–2022)
• Lee Jae-myung (Democratic) (2025–present)

Major liberal parties election results of South Korea

Presidential elections

Legislative elections

Local elections

Notes

References

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