[Politics That Day] Angry Party Formation, Star-Studded Candidates but Total Election Failure

2000 Minguokdang, Hastily Formed New Party's Dark History
Political Giants Kim Yun-hwan, Lee Soo-sung, Cho Soon Participate
Criticism for Reversing Generational Change, Voters' Rejection

Editor's Note‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures that deserve attention.

When the momentum for a merger builds ahead of a presidential election, the spirit of a split surges before the parliamentary general election. Why has this political pattern been established in past elections? It is related to the characteristics of the elections.

The presidential election is a contest with only one candidate. In contrast, the general election selects 253 district members of the National Assembly and 47 proportional representatives nationwide. Numerous candidates run, and the parties they belong to are diverse.

The space for a third party in the presidential election is inevitably narrow. If the goal is to win, the path is long and arduous. On the other hand, the general election is different. Third and fourth parties can secure seats, and surprises can be made in individual districts. Politics values organization and party strength, but personal ability is equally important. In other words, if the candidate is strong, the contest is worth trying.

The National Assembly building on December 12, 2020, is shrouded in silence. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

In many respects, the party often cited as a case study of a third party in the general election is the Democratic National Party (Min-guk-dang), which ran in the 16th general election in 2000. Min-guk-dang was founded on March 8, 2000. It was a newly established party just one month before the 16th general election held on April 13.

Although the party's history was short, it approached the general election with a lineup close to a dream team. The politicians who participated in Min-guk-dang were astonishing.

Former Prime Minister Cho Soon, who served as the elected mayor of Seoul, participated. ‘Heo Ju’ Kim Yun-hwan, the original kingmaker and former leader of the New Korea Party, also joined. Former Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung, former Deputy Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, former Democratic Party leader Lee Ki-taek, former Busan mayor Moon Jung-soo, former National Assembly Vice Speaker Shin Sang-woo, former Millennium Democratic Party standing advisor Kim Sang-hyun, and former lawmaker Park Chan-jong were among the powerful politicians who joined.

Politicians like Kim Yun-hwan and Lee Soo-sung, judging by their reputations alone, were not figures to worry about losing their seats. One was a kingmaker of presidents, and the other was a presidential hopeful. Even those called the leaders of Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) joined Min-guk-dang, creating tremendous momentum.

The reason to pay attention to the Min-guk-dang case is that it holds many lessons for those dreaming of founding a third new party ahead of the general election. When trying to form a third new party to oppose the existing two major parties, it is difficult to attract more dazzling and solid politicians than Min-guk-dang in 2000.

Superstars from left to right, from Yeongnam to Honam, representing various regions and ideologies, were together in Min-guk-dang.

On the afternoon of June 1, 2022, the day of the 8th nationwide local elections, vote counting staff are inspecting ballot boxes at Hoban Gymnasium in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

With such a party, it would be natural to create a storm in the general election and shake the existing political order, but the result was quite the opposite.

The Min-guk-dang’s results were not just poor but disastrous. Former Deputy Prime Minister Han Seung-soo was elected in Chuncheon, becoming the party’s only district winner. Han Seung-soo’s vote share was only 28.7%. After a fierce three-way race with the Grand National Party and the Millennium Democratic Party, Min-guk-dang secured victory.

Han Seung-soo’s win was a small consolation, but other political heavyweights all fell. Lee Soo-sung, who ran in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk, was defeated by the Grand National Party. Kim Yun-hwan, the TK leader who ran in Gumi City, also failed to overcome the Grand National Party’s barrier.

When Min-guk-dang was preparing to launch and create a new political flow, few expected such a poor general election result. Although the walls of real politics can be high, considering the participants, it was anticipated that several politicians would survive.

Min-guk-dang’s failure to overcome the limitations of a hastily formed party was intertwined with the electoral district structure. The 16th general election, which Min-guk-dang challenged, coincided with the dawn of the millennium (2000) and was an election swept by a ‘change wave’ in politics. It was also a time when the General Election Citizens’ Coalition’s defeat campaign was ignited.

The Grand National Party and the Democratic Party focused on generational change nominations in line with the wave of change. Political heavyweights from these parties were shocked by their defeat in the general election. Interpreting the generational change in these parties solely as political reform is an overstatement.

On March 8, 2022, one day before the 20th presidential election, a Jongno-gu office official is holding up a voting stamp at Cheongunhyoja-dong 3rd polling station set up in the Cheongunhyoja-dong Community Center in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Grand National Party and the Democratic Party also used the nomination process as a means to eliminate rivals to seize hegemony within the party. The political heavyweights who had lived their lives as politicians were well aware of this behavior by party leadership. Fueled by resentment and anger over nomination defeats, they embarked on founding new parties, and many politicians sharing similar pain joined.

Thus, the party’s volume grew, but it lost its character. It was neither conservative nor progressive or centrist, neither new politics nor anything else, becoming a mixed bag party.

Moreover, as it became a symbol opposing the trend of generational change, it was difficult to gain broad voter support. There was a limit to relying solely on the politicians’ reputations. From the perspective of the Grand National Party and the Democratic Party, Min-guk-dang’s existence helped to dilute the image of ‘old-fashioned parties.’

Min-guk-dang was used, regardless of its will, as a tool for other parties’ image cleansing.

The spark of Min-guk-dang, which blazed like a flame ahead of the 2000 general election, quietly extinguished and disappeared into history.