[Politics X-File] Geojidang, Saebyeokdang... Do Such Parties Really Exist?

(45) 49 Political Parties Registered with the Central Election Commission
9 Including Geum Tae-seop's New Party Among Party Formation Committees
Minimum Vote Share in Last General Election, 0.01% for Daehan Party

Editor's Note‘Political X-File’ is a serialized project that delivers ‘unprecedented stories’ recorded in the election results and incidents of Korean politics.

With the 22nd general election scheduled for April 10 next year, the biggest focus in Yeouido's political circles is the formation of new parties. The question is whether prominent politicians such as former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok will establish new parties. Although it might seem that once politicians gather and announce the formation of a new party, things would proceed smoothly, the reality is different.

The process of founding a political party is complicated and governed by the Political Parties Act. To establish a central party, a preparatory committee with more than 200 participants must be formed. Afterward, the central party is founded by fulfilling the procedures and requirements stipulated in the Political Parties Act.

To found a central party, at least five city or provincial parties with more than 1,000 members each must be organized. Securing over 1,000 members alone is challenging, so creating at least five such city or provincial parties is inevitably even more difficult.

The preparation process takes a considerable amount of time and requires substantial funding. As the election day approaches, politicians preparing to establish new parties become increasingly anxious. So, how many political parties actually exist in South Korea?

According to the National Election Commission on the 21st, there are a total of 49 registered parties. It is not only well-known parties like the Democratic Party of Korea, People Power Party, or Justice Party that exist. There are also parties with unusual names.

A representative example is the Geojidang (Beggar Party). Geojidang, led by Kim Junsu, was registered in December 2020. There is also the Jayuui Saebyeokdang (Dawn Party), registered in July 2019, with Lee Seon as its leader.

If someone tries to establish a party using the country's name, they might hit a wall because such parties already exist. The Daehanmingukdang (Republic of Korea Party), led by Kim Samsaeng, was registered in July 2012. Separately, Daehanmingukmin-dang (Korean People's Party), Daehandang, and Hangukgukmindang (Korea People's Party) are also registered with the National Election Commission.

The full committee meeting of the National Assembly to discuss the election system reform plan (amendment to the Public Official Election Act) to be applied in next year's general election was held for four days starting April 10 at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, where ruling and opposition party members engaged in heated debates. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The biggest concern for new parties when founding is choosing the party's name. Most reasonable party names already exist. Parties like Hannaradang (Grand National Party) and Jayudang (Liberal Party), which seem to have disappeared into history, are still registered with the National Election Commission. The difficulty in naming a new party during the founding process is largely because parties with names that appeal to the public likely already exist.

The period leading up to the general election is when the founding process is most active. There are nine registered preparatory committees with the National Election Commission. Among these nine, there is the ‘Social Democratic Party Central Party Preparatory Committee,’ involving defectors from the Justice Party, and the ‘New Choice Central Party Preparatory Committee,’ led by former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop.

While these parties have some media exposure and may not be unfamiliar to the public, there are also preparatory committees with unfamiliar names. There is the ‘Feminism Party Central Party Preparatory Committee’ and the ‘Nuclear Country Party Central Party Preparatory Committee.’

On April 15, 2020, the day of the 21st National Assembly election, officials are conducting vote counting at the counting center set up in the Multipurpose Badminton Gymnasium in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Whether these preparatory committees will actually lead to party formation remains to be seen.

Another point of interest is how many parties will participate in next April's general election. It is unlikely that all 49 existing parties will take part. To participate in the election, parties must have candidates and bear election costs. For parties that exist in name only, this is a practical concern.

In the 21st general election in 2020, a total of 35 parties participated in the proportional representation election for National Assembly members. Most recorded vote shares below 1%, with some parties receiving only 0.01% to 0.03%. Although the vote shares were small, it means there were voters who chose those parties.

Daehandang recorded a 0.01% vote share but received 4,855 votes nationwide for proportional representation. Whether due to political conviction or other reasons, even the party with the lowest vote share garnered nearly 5,000 votes nationwide.