People's Democracy Party (South Korea)

The People's Democracy Party[lower-alpha 3] is a communist party in South Korea which aims to establish a people's democracy, in which the proletariat owns the productive forces. The party is also staunchly anti-imperialist and has called for an immediate peace agreement with North Korea and the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from South Korea.

People's Democracy Party
민중민주당
LeaderLee Sang-hoon
Founded5 November 2016 (2016-11-05)
Headquarters#1107 Le Meilleur Jongno Town, 19 Jongno, Jogno 1-ga Jongno-gu, Seoul
Ideology
Political positionFar-left[1][lower-alpha 2]
National Assembly
0 / 300
Website
pdp21.kr
People's Democracy Party
Hangul
민중민주당
Hanja
民衆民主黨
Revised RomanizationMinjungminjudang
McCune–ReischauerMinjungminjudang
Abbreviation
Hangul
민중당
Hanja
民衆黨
Revised RomanizationMinjungdang
McCune–ReischauerMinjungdang

History

The Founding Preparatory Committee of the Hwansu Welfare Party (환수복지당) was formed on 12 July 2016[2] and it held a press conference on 18 July.[3] The inauguration ceremony of the Hwansu Welfare Party was subsequently held on 5 November 2016,[4] and the party registered with the National Election Commission (NEC) on 21 November.[5]

The Hwansu Welfare Party merged with organizations affiliated with the National Liberation and People's Democracy political camps on 15 August 2017. The party subsequently renamed itself the People's Democracy Party-Hwansu Welfare Party (민중민주당-환수복지당), later shortened to the "People's Democracy Party".

Ideology and policies

"Communalism"
See also: Crypto-communism

The People's Democracy Party is a communist party which aims to establish a people's democracy in South Korea, in which workers, farmers, and small merchants (i.e. the proletariat and petite bourgeoisie) are the owners of the productive forces. However, since the National Security Act prevents communist from working or active in South Korea, the PDP does not explicitly support "communism" (공산주의), but instead uses the indirect expression "communalism" (공동주의).[6] The party program also calls for free housing, education, and medical care, as well as an end to conscription in South Korea.

Korean ethnic nationalism
Main article: Korean ethnic nationalism

The PDP does not support right-wing nationalist policies such as anti-immigration, but there are resistance Korean ethnic nationalist elements such as pursuing minjok unity with North Korean people.[1]

The party has called for an immediate end to the Korean conflict by striking a peace deal with North Korea[7] and withdrawing foreign troops from South Korea.[8]

Foreign policy
Main articles: Anti-American sentiment in Korea and Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea

The party argues that "South Corea [sic] is a complete colony occupied by the U.S. military, is politically oppressed by the U.S., and is economically subordinate to imperialist countries, including the U.S.," and therefore "True peace is possible only without imperialism; the head of imperialism is the U.S."[9]

The party is also strongly opposed to Japanese imperialism and militarism. The party argues that [South and North] Korea and China should join forces to 'defeat' Japan, which has joined hands with U.S. imperialism.[10][lower-alpha 4]

The People's Democracy Party officially supported Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. The party argues that the war is entirely due to the anti-Russian racism of "Ukrainian-Nazism" (우크라이나나치즘), and supports Russia's "de-Nazification" policy toward Ukraine.[14][15]

United States
Main articles: Trumpism and Sunshine Policy § Donald Trump and Trumpists
See also: Foreign policy of the Donald Trump administration § South Korea, Liberal hawk § Opposition to Sunshine Policy, and Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election

The People's Democracy Party has strongly criticized the right-wing of South Korea, such as Yoon Suk-yeol, citing its hostile policy toward North Korea. On the other hand, the People's Democracy Party has officially supported Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election. Unlike 'liberal hawk' Joe Biden, Donald Trump has been known to support the Sunshine Policy, a dovish policy toward North Korea.

The party opposed Trumpism until 2017, when it was in its early days. Three members of the People's Democracy Party were arrested by police on 8 November 2017 for distributing leaflets and hanging a banner critical of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Korea. During the same afternoon, the People's Democracy Party held a press conference in front of the Mapo Police Station and said, "Since yesterday [when President Trump arrived], a total of seven party members were arrested for doing the same thing in downtown Seoul, and four of them have been released."[16] The point at which the party came to support Donald Trump was in 2018 and beyond when Donald Trump began to support the Sunshine Policy.

Election results

Legislative elections
Election Constituency votes Share of votes Seats won +/− Outcome
2020 63 0.00%
0 / 300
 No seats

See also

Notes
  1. Although the PDP is a 'legitimate' political party, it has not officially stated that it supports "communism" (공산주의) because it is illegal to form a communist polticial party in South Korea under the National Security Act.
  2. The People's Democracy Party is an economically entrenched far-left, but socially it is a mix of right-wing and left-wing elements. The party is commonly called "far-left" in South Korea, not "far-right" because of its pro-North Korean (resistance nationalist) and anti-Japanese (anti-colonialist) nature.
  3. Korean: 민중민주당; Hanja: 民衆民主黨; RR: Minjungminjudang
  4. Korea was a Japanese colony from 1910 to 1945. Many Korean (especially victims of Japanese war crimes and descendants) believe they have not received proper compensation and apologies from Japan.[11][12][13]

References
  1. "극좌단체 美 백악관 앞서 "미 본토까지 불바다" 미군 철수 시위 '논란' - 블루투데이".
  2. Lee, Jae Chul (31 December 2017). "Political Protest from 2016 to 2017 in Korea : Analysis of Citizens in Metropolitan Areas". The Journal of Social Science. 24 (4): 61–82. doi:10.46415/jss.2017.12.24.4.61. ISSN 1598-8996.
  3. "'환수복지당' 18일 창당준비위 출범 - 통일뉴스". www.tongilnews.com (in Korean). 18 July 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  4. "Solidarity statement to the People's Democracy Party inauguration". 14 November 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  5. Ahn, Bo-Young; Chun, Young-Sin (31 August 2011). "The Characteristics Asian Dust Observed in Japan Deflecting the Korean Peninsula (2010. 5. 22.-5. 25.)". Journal of the Korean Earth Science Society. 32 (4): 388–401. doi:10.5467/jkess.2011.32.4.388. ISSN 1225-6692.
  6. "하나의 이념과 두개의 주의". 민중민주당(민중당) (in Korean). 23 August 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  7. "이땅을 전쟁연습 없는 평화지대로 만들자". 26 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  8. "People's Democracy Party of South Korea in Britain to protest deployment of THAAD". 22 May 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  9. People's, Democracy Party (25 June 2020). "70 years too long: The struggle to end the Korean War". Liberation School. Retrieved 1 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. "〈일본패망하루전〉 반드시 망한다". 민중민주당. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.
  11. "한국 재단이 징용 배상 "한일관계 위한 결단"…피해자는 '반발'(종합2보)". 연합뉴스. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  12. "트럼프와 포옹한 이용수 할머니, 일본에 일침 "참견 마라"". 중앙일보. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  13. "SOUTH KOREA: Anti-Japanese rally in Seoul ahead of Japanese prime minister's visit" Archived 2012-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, ITN Source, October 9, 2009.
  14. "우크라이나나치즘의 형성과 러시아반나치군사작전의 전개". 민중민주당. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.
  15. "〈증오(Wołyń)〉 끝장내야한다". 민중민주당. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.
  16. "'트럼프 반대' 유인물 배포 잇따라 ... '북한 삐라'도 발견(종합)". news.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 15 September 2020.
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