Liberty Korea Party 자유한국당 自由韓國黨 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded |
|
| Dissolved | February 17, 2020 (2020-02-17) |
| Merger of | |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | People Power Party |
| Headquarters | 18,Gukhoe-daero 70-gil Yeongdeungpo-gu,Seoul 149-871 |
| Membership(2018) | Approximately 3,500,000[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position |
|
| Regional affiliation | Asia Pacific Democrat Union |
| International affiliation | International Democrat Union |
| Colours | |
| Slogan | Together, into the future |
| Liberty Korea Party (2017–2020) | |
| Hangul | 자유한국당 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 自由韓國黨 |
| Revised Romanization | Jayuhangukdang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Chayuhan'guktang |
| Saenuri Party (2012–2017) | |
| Hangul | 새누리당 |
| Hanja | 새누리黨 |
| Revised Romanization | Saenuridang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Saenuridang |
| Grand National Party (1997–2012) | |
| Hangul | 한나라당 |
| Hanja | 한나라黨 |
| Revised Romanization | Hannaradang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hannaradang |
TheLiberty Korea Party (Korean: 자유한국당) was aconservative[3][4][5]political party inSouth Korea that was described variously asright-wing,[13][14]right-wing populist,[8] orfar-right.[17]
The Grand National Party party was founded in 1997, when theUnited Democratic Party andNew Korea Party merged. In1997, GNP presidential candidateLee Hoi-chang lost toNational Congress for New Politics candidateKim Dae-jung, marking the first time in Korea the ruling partypeacefully transferred power to the opposition party. In2004, the party lost its leading status in theNational Assembly. In2007, GNP candidateLee Myung-bak was elected the president, returning the party into power. In2008, it recaptured its majority in the National Assembly.
In 2012, it was renamed to the Saenuri Party. That year, its candidatePark Geun-hye won in thepresidential election, while the partyretained its majority in the National Assembly. In 2016, Park wasimpached by the National Assembly due to the2016 South Korean political scandal, while some party members split and created theBareun Party, leading the party to lose its plurality in the National Assembly. In 2017, the party was renamed to the Liberty Korea Party. In February 2020, the Liberty Korea Party was suceeded by theUnited Future Party when it merged withOnward for Future 4.0 and theNew Conservative Party to contest the2020 South Korean legislative election.
The party was generally seen as right-wing, conservative and economically liberal. It espoused socially conservative views. It favored strengthening South Korea'salliance with the United States, as well as improvingrelations with Japan. The party also took a hawkish stance towards North Korea.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2018) |
The Grand National Party (GNP), also known as the Hannara Party (한나라당), was founded in 1997, when theUnited Democratic Party andNew Korea Party merged. The party's earliest ancestor was theDemocratic Republican Party[23] under the authoritarian rule ofPark Chung Hee in 1963. On Park's death, and at the beginning of the rule ofChun Doo-hwan in 1980, it was reconstituted and renamed as theDemocratic Justice Party. In 1988, party memberRoh Tae-woo introduced a wide range of political reforms including direct presidential elections and a new constitution.
The party was renamed in 1993, during the presidency ofKim Young-sam,[24] with the merger of other parties to form the Democratic Liberal Party (Minju Jayudang). It was renamed as theNew Korea Party (Sinhangukdang) in 1995, and it then became the Grand National Party in November 1997 following its merger with the smaller United Democratic Party and various conservative parties.[25]
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Three months later, in 1998, with the election ofKim Dae-jung of theNational Congress for New Politics as president, the conservative party's governing role came to an end, and it began its first ever period in opposition, which would last ten years. In October 2012, theAdvancement Unification Party merged with the Saenuri Party.[26]
Following the2000 parliamentary elections, it was the single largest political party, with 54% of the vote and 133 seats out of 271. The party continued to control the National Assembly.
The party was defeated in theparliamentary election in 2004 following the attemptedimpeachment of PresidentRoh Moo-hyun, gaining only 121 seats out of 299. The party's defeat reflected public disapproval of the attempted impeachment, which was instigated by the party. This was the first time in its history the party had not won the most seats. It gained back five seats in by-elections, bringing it to 127 seats as of 28 October 2005.[27]
On 19 December 2007, the GNP's candidate, former Seoul mayorLee Myung-bak won the presidential election,[28] ending the party's ten-year period in opposition.
In theApril 2008 general election, the GNP secured a majority of 153 seats out of 299 and gained power in the administration and the parliament as well as most local governments, despite low voter turnout.[29]
One of the main bases of popular support of the party originates from the conservative, traditionalist elite and the rural population, except for farmers. It is strongest in theGyeongsang Province region. Former party head, and2007 presidential candidate,Park Geun-hye is the daughter of former PresidentPark Chung Hee who ruled from 1961 to 1979. AlthoughRepresentative Won Hee-ryeong and Hong Jun-pyo ran for the party primary as reformist candidates, formerSeoul mayor and official presidential candidateLee Myung-bak gained more support (about 40%) from the Korean public.
The GNP suffered a setback in the2010 local elections, losing a total of 775 local seats throughout the counties,[30] but remained with the most seats in the region.
GNP-affiliated politician,Oh Se-hoon, lost hismayoral position in Seoul after theSeoul Free Lunch Referendum.
The Grand National Party celebrated its 14th anniversary on 21 November 2011, amid uncertainties from intra-party crises.[31]
TheDDoS attacks during theOctober 2011 by-election have become a central concern of the GNP as it could potentially disintegrate the party leadership.[32]
TheHong Jun-pyo leadership system collapsed on 9 December 2011, and the GNP Emergency Response Commission was launched on 17 December 2011, withPark Geun-hye as commission chairperson, to prepare for the forthcomingLegislative Election 2012 on 11 April 2012, and thePresidential Election 2012 on 19 December 2012.[33] There was a debate with Commission members about whether to transform the Grand National Party into a non-conservative political party or not, but Park said the GNP would never become non-conservative and will follow the real values of conservatism.[34][35] In 2012, the party was renamed to the Saenuri Party (새누리당;lit. New Frontier Party).
The party's leader and South Korean PresidentPark Geun-hye was impeached and convicted for her role in a corruption scandal.[36]
The Liberty Korea Party merged withOnward for Future 4.0 and theNew Conservative Party on 17 February, launching theUnited Future Party in time for the upcoming2020 South Korean legislative election.[37]
In February 2012, the party changed its political official color from blue to red. This was a change from the previous 30 years where blue was usually the symbol of the conservative parties.[38]
The party supportsfree trade andneoliberal economic policies. It favors maintaining strong cooperation with theUnited States andJapan, and also believes that eachKorean first level province needs to have a sustainable economy.[39] The party is also conservative on social issues such as opposition to legal recognition of same-sex couples. The party supports equality between man and woman, as quoted, "and ensure that both men and women are equally guaranteed opportunities".[39]
One of the party's important policies is to financially secureThe Four Major Rivers Project since President Lee Myung-bak was in office. This project's budget disputes have sparked controversial political motions in theNational Assembly for three consecutive years.[40]
The party has been less inclined toward the creation of a new capital city for South Korea, to be calledSejong City than the previous administration. As of 2012, the Saenuri Party has indicated that some governmental offices will be relocated to the new city, but not all.[41]
The party has been very active in promoting theNorth Korean Human Rights Law, which would officially condemn the use of torture, public executions and other human rights violations in North Korea.[42]
Party representative Ha Tae Kyung is the founder ofOpen Radio for North Korea, an NGO dedicated to spreading news and information about democracy, to which citizens of North Korea have little access due to their government's isolationist policies.[43] In April 2012, Saenuri member Cho Myung-Chul became the first North Korean defector elected to the National Assembly.[44] In spring 2012, several Saenuri representatives took part in the Save My Friend protests, organized to oppose China's policy of repatriatingNorth Korean defectors, and expressed their solidarity with Park Sun-young's hunger strike.[45]
The party has records of secretly hiring and paying university students to generate online replies favorable to the GNP.[46] GNP member Jin Seong-ho (진성호) formally apologized on 2 July 2009, for making a remark that "the GNP occupiedNaver,"[47] one of the biggest South Korean internet portals.
The party passed a bill relating to the year 2011 national budget without the opposition parties' input on 8 December 2010.[48] It had causedlegislative violence before. This process of passing the budget bill sparked controversy over potential illegality. Due to this incident, many South Korean political, academic and citizen groups expressed their outrage against current mainstream politics.[49] The reason for forceful passing of the bill was due mainly to the budget disputes over the controversialFour Major Rivers Project.[50] Many Buddhists in South Korea criticized the budget bill for neglecting the national Temple Stay program.[51] This has led theJogye Order, the largest Buddhist order in South Korea, to sever ties with the GNP[52] and becoming financially independent without any funding from the government.[53] The interns and the staff working in the National Assembly officially complained on 17 December that their salary was unpaid after the passing of this bill.[54]
Certain members of the Liberty Korea Party have faced criticism for expressing anti-refugee,[55]homophobic views[56][57] and advocacy ofauthoritarian rules of the October Restoration.[58]
| No. | Term | Name | Term of office | Election results | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||||
| 1 | 1 | Lee Han-dong | 21 November 1997 | 10 April 1998 | Appointed |
| * | 2 | Cho Soon* | 10 April 1998 | 5 August 1998 | No election |
| — | — | Lee Han-dong | 5 August 1998 | 31 August 1998 | Acting |
| * | 3 | Lee Hoi-chang* | 31 August 1998 | 22 May 2000 | see1998 election |
| — | — | Seo Cheong-won | 22 May 2000 | 30 May 2000 | Acting |
| * | 4 | Lee Hoi-chang* | 30 May 2000 | 2 April 2002 | see2000 election |
| — | — | Park Kwan-yong | 2 April 2002 | 14 May 2002 | Acting |
| 2 | 5 | Seo Cheong-won | 14 May 2002 | 30 January 2003 | see2002 election |
| — | — | Park Hee-tae | 30 January 2003 | 26 June 2003 | Acting |
| 3 | 6 | Choi Byeong-yul | 26 June 2003 | 23 March 2004 | see2003 election |
| 4 | 7 | Park Geun-hye | 23 March 2004 | 5 July 2004 | seeMarch 2004 election |
| — | — | Kim Deok-ryong | 5 July 2004 | 19 July 2004 | Acting |
| (4) | 8 | Park Geun-hye | 19 July 2004 | 15 June 2006 | seeJuly 2004 election |
| — | — | Kim Yeong-seon | 15 June 2006 | 10 July 2006 | Acting |
| 5 | 9 | Kang Jae-sup | 11 July 2006 | 4 July 2008 | see2006 election |
| 6 | 10 | Park Hee-tae | 4 July 2008 | 7 September 2009 | see2008 election |
| 7 | 11 | Chung Mong-joon | 7 September 2009 | 4 June 2010 | No election |
| — | — | Kim Moo-sungERC | 4 June 2010 | 14 July 2010 | Appointed |
| 8 | 12 | Ahn Sang-soo | 14 July 2010 | 9 May 2011 | see2010 election |
| — | — | Jeong Ui-hwaERC | 9 May 2011 | 4 July 2011 | Appointed |
| 9 | 13 | Hong Jun-pyo | 4 July 2011 | 9 December 2011 | see2011 election |
| — | — | Na Kyung-won | 9 December 2011 | 12 December 2011 | Acting |
| — | — | Hwang Woo-yea | 12 December 2011 | 19 December 2011 | Acting |
| — | — | Park Geun-hyeERC | 19 December 2011 | 15 May 2012 | Appointed |
| 10 | 14 | Hwang Woo-yea | 15 May 2012 | 15 May 2014 | see2012 election |
| — | — | Lee Wan-kooERC | 15 May 2014 | 14 July 2014 | Appointed |
| 11 | 15 | Kim Moo-sung | 14 July 2014 | 14 April 2016 | see2014 election |
| — | — | Won Yoo-chul | 14 April 2016 | 11 May 2016 | Acting |
| — | — | Chung Jin-suk | 11 May 2016 | 2 June 2016 | Acting |
| — | — | Kim Hee-okERC | 2 June 2016 | 9 August 2016 | Appointed |
| 12 | 16 | Lee Jung-hyun | 9 August 2016 | 16 December 2016 | see2016 election |
| — | — | Chung Woo-taik | 16 December 2016 | 29 December 2016 | Acting |
| — | — | In Myung-jinERC | 29 December 2016 | 1 April 2017 | Appointed |
| — | — | Chung Woo-taik | 1 April 2017 | 3 July 2017 | Acting |
| 13 | 17 | Hong Jun-pyo | 3 July 2017 | 14 June 2018 | see2017 election |
| — | — | Kim Sung-tae | 14 June 2018 | 17 July 2018 | Acting |
| — | — | Kim Byong-joonERC | 17 July 2018 | 27 February 2019 | Appointed |
| 14 | 18 | Hwang Kyo-ahn | 27 February 2019 | 17 February 2020 | see2019 election |
| No. | Name | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||
| 1 | Mok Yo-sang | 21 November 1997 | 16 December 1997 |
| 2 | Lee Sang-deuk | 16 December 1997 | 5 April 1998 |
| 3 | Ha Soon-bong | 5 April 1998 | 27 August 1998 |
| 4 | Park Hee-tae | 27 August 1998 | 14 January 1999 |
| 5 | Lee Boo-young | 14 January 1999 | 1 June 2000 |
| 6 | Jung Chang-hwa | 1 June 2000 | 13 May 2001 |
| 7 | Lee Jae-oh | 13 May 2001 | 16 May 2002 |
| 8 | Lee Kyu-taek | 16 May 2002 | 29 June 2003 |
| 9 | Hong Sa-duk | 29 June 2003 | 18 May 2004 |
| 10 | Kim Duk-ryong | 18 May 2004 | 4 March 2005 |
| 11 | Kang Jae-sup | 4 March 2005 | 11 January 2006 |
| 12 | Lee Jae-oh | 11 January 2006 | 12 July 2006 |
| 13 | Kim Hyun-goh | 12 July 2006 | 26 August 2007 |
| 14 | Ahn Sang-soo | 26 August 2007 | 17 May 2008 |
| 15 | Hong Jun-pyo | 17 May 2008 | 20 May 2009 |
| (14) | Ahn Sang-soo | 20 May 2009 | 3 May 2010 |
| 16 | Kim Moo-sung | 3 May 2010 | 5 May 2011 |
| 17 | Hwang Woo-yea | 5 May 2011 | 8 May 2012 |
| 18 | Lee Hahn-koo | 8 May 2012 | 14 May 2013 |
| 19 | Choi Kyoung-hwan | 15 May 2013 | 7 May 2014 |
| 20 | Lee Wan-koo | 7 May 2014 | 25 January 2015 |
| 21 | Yoo Seong-min | 1 February 2015 | 8 July 2015 |
| 22 | Won Yoo-chul | 14 July 2015 | 3 May 2016 |
| 23 | Chung Jin-suk | 3 May 2016 | 12 December 2016 |
| 24 | Chung Woo-taik | 16 December 2016 | 11 December 2017 |
| 25 | Kim Sung-tae | 11 December 2017 | 11 December 2018 |
| 26 | Na Kyung-won | 11 December 2018 | 9 December 2019 |
| 27 | Shim Jae-chul | 9 December 2019 | 17 February 2020 |
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Lee Hoi-chang | 9,935,718 | 38.75 | Lost |
| 2002 | 11,443,297 | 46.59 | ||
| 2007 | Lee Myung-bak | 11,492,389 | 48.67 | Elected |
| 2012 | Park Geun-hye | 15,773,128 | 51.56 | |
| 2017 | Hong Joon-pyo | 7,841,017 | 24.04 | Lost |
| Election | Leader | Constituency | Party list | Seats | Position | Status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | No. | +/– | ||||
| 2000 | Lee Hoi-chang | 7,365,359 | 38.96 | 112 / 227 | new | 21 / 46 | new | 133 / 273 | new | 1st | Opposition | ||
| 2004 | Park Geun-hye | 8,083,609 | 37.9 | 100 / 243 |  12 | 7,613,660 | 35.77 | 21 / 56 |  | 121 / 299 | 12 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2008 | Kang Jae-seop | 7,478,776 | 43.45 | 131 / 245 |  31 | 6,421,727 | 37.48 | 22 / 54 | 1 | 153 / 299 | 32 | 1st | Government |
| 2012 | Park Geun-hye | 9,324,911 | 43.28 | 127 / 246 | 4 | 9,130,651 | 42.8 | 25 / 54 | 3 | 152 / 300 | 1 | 1st | Government |
| 2016 | Kim Moo-sung | 9,200,690 | 38.33 | 105 / 253 | 22 | 7,960,272 | 33.5 | 17 / 47 | 8 | 122 / 300 | 30 | 2nd | Government |
| Election | Leader | Metropolitan mayor/Governor | Provincial legislature | Municipal mayor | Municipal legislature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Cho Soon | 6 / 16 | 224 / 616 | 74 / 232 | |
| 2002 | Seo Cheong-won | 11 / 16 | 467 / 682 | 136 / 227 | |
| 2006 | Park Geun-hye | 12 / 16 | 557 / 733 | 155 / 230 | 1,621 / 2,888 |
| 2010 | Chung Mong-joon | 6 / 16 | 288 / 761 | 82 / 228 | 1,247 / 2,888 |
| 2014 | Lee Wan-koo | 8 / 17 | 416 / 789 | 117 / 226 | 1,413 / 2,898 |
| 2018 | Hong Jun-pyo | 2 / 17 | 137 / 824 | 53 / 226 | 1,009 / 2,927 |
Park Yong-chan, a spokesman for South Korea's far-right Liberty Korea Party, told the Times in a statement: "'Parasite' has written new history.
The far-right Liberty Korea Party is likely to recommend one of the candidates, while the other three parties are likely to haggle over the second candidate, out of the total four.
Hong, the outspoken candidate of the far-right Liberty Korea Party, is the most vocal about his objection to the issue.
Other party members are worried that the confluence of party rallies and demonstrations by the "Taegukgi brigade" in Gwanghwamun and other places is reinforcing the party's reputation as being on the far right. This impression was clinched by an incident in which party supporters waving Taekgukgi (Korean flags) and American flags encircled the National Assembly while the LKP was attempting to block fast-tracked legislation.
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