Unified Progressive Party

History

The UPP proposed an alliance with the major liberal Democratic Party, which the Democrats rejected.

In the 2012 National Assembly election the party gained eight seats for a total of thirteen seats out of 300, advancing to the third position, well ahead of the conservative Liberty Forward Party (which lost most of its seats).

On 24 April 2012, the party provisionally voted to drop the "Unified" component of its name, and adopt the name "Progressive Party". The change was subject to a vote of the party's Central Committee on 13 May. On 3 May 2012, the party internal investigation revealed that wide-ranging irregularities occurred in selecting UPP's proportional representation candidates. UPP won six proportional representatives in 11 April general election, but one legislator resigned amid the election scandal. All four co-leaders of the party subsequently resigned on 12 May.

The South Korean government petitioned the Constitutional Court of Korea to dissolve the UPP due to their alleged pro-North Korea views in November 2013, two months after the UPP members allegedly involved in the 2013 South Korean sabotage plot were arrested. On 19 December 2014 the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled 8–1 in favour of the dissolution. The five UPP lawmakers were also deprived of their National Assembly seats. According to Amnesty International, the UPP's ban raised "serious questions as to the authorities' commitment to freedom of expression and association".

After the dissolution, some of the members joined People's United Party in 2016.

Political positions

Since the United Progressive Party was a big tent party until 2012 and before, there was no consistent ideology except for the motto of a "leftist" party. Before the 2012 party's controversy over fraudulent elections, the United Progressive Party was led by moderates, so some evaluated that "progressivism" was closer to "American (modern) liberalism" than "socialism". However, after 2012, liberals and social democrats within the party left the party, and left-wing nationalists led the party much more, and afterwards were embroiled in controversy over allegations of being "far-left" or "pro-North Korea" ().

Lee Seok-ki sabotage plot

Main article: 2013 South Korean sabotage plot

On 5 September 2013, South Korea's intelligence agency, NIS, accused UPP lawmaker Lee Seok-ki of plotting a pro-North Korean rebellion. The case triggered a political and media firestorm in a nation where even praising the North can be considered a crime. He allegedly led a May 2013 meeting, comprised partly of UPP members, in which reference was made to the prospect of attacking South Korean infrastructure in the event that recently heightened tensions between the Koreas led to war.

South Korean prosecutors subsequently indicted Lee on charges of plotting a pro-North Korea rebellion to overthrow the government, saying his plan posed a "grave" national security threat. However, UPP lawmakers say that while the meeting in question did take place, they had no intention of destroying South Korean government infrastructure.

On 17 February 2014, Lee was sentenced by a district court to 12 years in prison.

Electoral results

Legislative

Local

References

References

1. http://www.goupp.org/kor/intro/greeting.php UPP intro page(korean)
2. Tom Lansford. (19 March 2019). "Political Handbook of the World 2018-2019". CQ Press.
3. Rüdiger Frank, Jim Hoare. (13 September 2013). "Korea 2013: Politics, Economy and Society". BRILL.
4. (2020). "Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Korea". [[Rowman & Littlefield]].
5. (2016). "Fault Lines in a Rising Asia". [[Brookings Institution Press]].
6. (2021). "Polarized Politics in South Korea: Political Culture and Democracy in Partisan Newspapers". [[Rowman & Littlefield]].
7. link. [[Pressian]]. (13 September 2012)
8. (5 December 2011). "Minor parties launch 'Unified Progressive Party'". [[The Korea Times]].
9. (5 December 2012). "S. Korea's minor parties coalesce to form new progressive party". People's Daily Online.
10. Bae Hyun-jung. (20 January 2012). "Minority parties struggle". [[The Korea Herald]].
11. "Progressive parties unified". [[Yonhap News Agency]].
12. [http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20120424000923 Progressives drop ‘united’ from party name], ''[[The Korea Herald]]''. 24 April 2012, retrieved 24 April 2012.
13. (2 May 2012). "UPP should clearly settle vote irregularity scandal". [[Yonhap News]].
14. link. (3 May 2012). Huh Yun-seok(허윤석). [[Seoul Broadcasting System. SBS]]
15. Kim Hee-jin. (3 May 2012). "UPP admits its primary was rigged". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
16. (12 May 2012). "Leftist party leaders resign over election scandal". [[The Korea Times]].
17. [https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/12/18/world/asia/ap-as-skorea-leftist-party.html?_r=0 S Korea Court Orders Dissolution of Leftist Party]
18. [http://www.ccourt.go.kr/home/storybook/storybook.jsp?eventnum=39101&eventNo=2013%C7%E5%B4%D91&accident_name=&law_name=&provision=&accident1=2013&accident2=%C7%E5%B4%D9&accident3=1&regname=&flag=1&list_type=05&EmailPostReq=&mainseq=148&seq=1 Official court opinion (in Korean)]
19. (19 December 2014). "South Korea court orders party with 'pro-North Korea' views be disbanded". DW.
20. (19 December 2014). "South Korea court orders breakup of 'pro-North' leftwing party". The Guardian.
21. Steven Borowiec. (19 December 2014). "In unprecedented move, South Korea bans 'pro-North' political party". [[Los Angeles Times]].
22. link. [[Pressian]]. (2011-12-01)
23. (7 May 2012). "UPP's biggest faction denies rigging". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
24. link. [[The Hankyoreh]]. (2014-11-04)
25. "South Korea Lawmaker Arrested in Alleged Rebellion Plot".
26. [https://web.archive.org/web/20190102143237/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/south-korean-prosecutors-charge-leftist-lawmaker-with-plotting-pro-north-korea-rebellion/2013/09/26/561ba772-267d-11e3-9372-92606241ae9c_story.html South Korean prosecutors charge leftist lawmaker with plotting pro-North Korea rebellion]
27. (17 February 2014). "(LEAD) Leftist lawmaker gets 12-year prison term for rebellion plot".