Democratic Alliance of Korea

The Democratic Alliance of Korea (Korean: 더불어민주연합) was an electoral alliance and political party formed in order to run for party-list proportional representation in the 2024 South Korean legislative election.[1][2] It consisted of 3 centrist to left-wing parties and alliances — the Democratic Party of Korea, the Progressive Party and the New Progressive Alliance. It only nominated proportional representation candidates in the 2024 South Korean election. On May 2, 2024, the Democratic Alliance, excluding members of the Progressive Party and New Progressive Alliance, merged into the Democratic Party of Korea.[3]

Democratic Alliance of Korea
더불어민주연합
AbbreviationDAK
PresidentYoon Young-deok
Paik Seung-ah
Floor leaderYoon Young-deok
Founded3 March 2024 (2024-03-03)
Dissolved8 May 2024 (2024-05-08)
Ideology
Political positionCentre to left-wing
National affiliation
Website
theminjoounion.kr

Member parties

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Name Ideology Position Leader MPs Entry
Party
Democratic Party Liberalism Centre to centre-left Lee Jae-myung
8 / 300
3 March 2024
Progressive Party Progressivism
Left-wing nationalism
Left-wing Yun Hee-suk
3 / 300
3 March 2024

New Progressive Alliance
Basic Income Party
Open Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party
Universal basic income
Liberalism
Social liberalism
N/A Yong Hye-in
Oh Joon-ho
2 / 300
3 March 2024

Refused to join

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Despite receiving an invitation from the Democratic Party, the Green Justice Party declined to participate in the electoral alliance due to their stance against the formation of satellite parties.[4]

Name Ideology Position Leaders MPs References
Party

Green Justice Party
Justice Party
Green Party Korea
Green politics
Progressivism
Centre-left to left-wing Kim Joon-woo
Kim Chan-hwee
0 / 300
[5][6]

Candidates

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List number Candidates Endorser party
1 Seo Mi-hwa United Political Citizens Assembly
2 Wi Sung-rak Democratic Party
3 Baek Seung-a Democratic Party
4 Lim Gwang-hyeon Democratic Party
5 Jeong Hye-kyung Progressive Party
6 Yong Hye-in New Progressive Alliance (Basic Income Party)
7 Oh Se-hee Democratic Party
8 Park Hong-bae Democratic Party
9 Kang You-jung Democratic Party
10 Han Chang-min New Progressive Alliance (Social Democratic Party)[7]
11 Jeon Jong-deok Progressive Party
12 Kim Yoon United Political Citizens Assembly
13 Lim Mi-ae Democratic Party
14 Jeong Eul-ho Democratic Party
15 Son Sol Progressive Party
16 Choi Hyuk-jin New Progressive Alliance
17 Lee Ju-hee United Political Citizens Assembly
18 Kim Jun-hwan Democratic Party
19 Go Jae-soon Democratic Party
20 Kim Young-hun United Political Citizens Assembly
21 Kwak Eun-mi Democratic Party
22 Cho Won-hee Democratic Party
23 Baek Hye-sook Democratic Party
24 Seo Seoung-man Democratic Party
25 Jeon Ye-hyun Democratic Party
26 Seo Jae-heon Democratic Party
27 Heo So-young Democratic Party
28 Chpi Young-seung Democratic Party
29 Kang Gyeong-yoon Democratic Party
30 Song Chang-wook Democratic Party

Criticism

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The inclusion of the Progressive Party was heavily criticised, as it is considered de facto successor of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) that was banned for its pro-North Korean allegiance despite its denial to the claims.[8][9][10][11][12][13] Han Dong-hoon, the interim President of the People Power Party (PPP), denounced the coalition as "the combination of the privileged (socialist) activists, radical supporters of Lee Jae-myung, pro-North Korean UPPs and Cho Kuk".[10] Several pre-candidates, including Lee Rae-kyung and Cho Sung-woo, were alleged to be conspiracy theorists.[8][9][11][12]

Lee Sang-heon, the MP for Buk, Ulsan, announced his withdrawal from the Democratic Party following the Democratic Alliance's decision to support for Yoon Jong-oh, a member of the Progressive Party as well as the former MP for the constituency.[14][15][16]

On 14 February 2024, the Democratic Alliance rejected the nomination of Lim Tae-hoon, former chair and founder of the Military Human Rights Commission, for a spot on the proportional representation list. The reason given by the Democratic Party was that Lim had been arrested in the early 2000s for evading military conscription, which is required by law for all men in South Korea. Lim, who is openly gay, would also have been the Democratic Party's first sexual minority in a national election. Some members of the Democratic Party hold social conservative opinions.[17] The Democratic Party also rejected an appeal from Lim, despite conscientious objection being legalized in 2018. Lim was pardoned by President Roh in 2005 and thus founded the Military Human Rights Commission in 2009.

Hours after the announcement of the rejection of candidate Lim, the civil society and human rights groups within the electoral alliance threatened to withdraw their support and candidates from the electoral alliance on 14 February 2024.[18]

Election results

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Election Leader Constituency Party list Seats Position Status
Votes % Seats Votes % Seats
2024 Yoon Young-deok
Paik Seung-ah
7,567,459 26.70
14 / 46
14 / 300
2nd Opposition

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ '더불어민주연합' 오늘 창당…공동대표에 윤영덕·백승아. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  2. ^ 범야권 비례 위성정당 창당…당명은 더불어민주연합. 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  3. ^ 조, 재완. 민주당 의석 171석으로…민주연합 합당 의결. Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  4. ^ 강, 재구 (17 February 2024). 녹색정의당, '야권 비례연합정당' 참여하지 않기로. 녹색정의당, '야권 비례연합정당' 참여하지 않기로 (in Korean). Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  5. ^ 녹색정의당, '야권 비례연합정당' 참여하지 않기로. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  6. ^ 녹색정의당, 민주당 주도 '위성정당 불참' 만장일치 결정. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  7. ^ 장진숙 등 통진당 출신, 野비례후보 확정. MK. 5 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b "野, 위성정당 대가로 통진당 후신에 4석 보장". 22 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b 민주, 통진당 후신인 진보당에 울산 북구 지역구 내줘. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b 종북·나눠먹기 논란까지… 민주 '위성정당 리스크'. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b 천안함·광우병 괴담 세력에… 국회 길 터주는 민주당. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  12. ^ a b 민주당, 해산된 통진당 출신 김재연 금배지 달아주나. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  13. ^ [사설]'위헌' 통진당 후신에 4석 내주는 민주당, '숙주 역할' 자처하나. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  14. ^ 민주 이상헌, 진보당 연대에 반발 탈당… 무소속 출마. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  15. ^ '울산 단일화 반발' 이상헌, 민주당 탈당 "무소속 출마". 28 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  16. ^ 민주 이상헌, 진보당 단일화 반발해 탈당…"무소속 출마". 28 February 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  17. ^ "[사설] 임태훈 컷오프, 양심적 병역거부가 병역기피인가". 14 March 2024.
  18. ^ "임태훈 공천 배제 철회하라"…시민사회-민주당 연대 파기되나. 14 March 2024.