The Korea Democratic Party (, KDP) was the leading opposition party in the first years of the

First Republic of Korea The first Republic of Korea () was the government of South Korea from August 1948 to April 1960. The first republic was founded on 15 August 1948 after the transfer from the United States Army Military Government that governed South Korea sin ...

. It existed from 1945 to 1949, when it merged with other opposition parties. The U.S. military government has defined the KDP as

conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

with high educational standards, and believes they want

Western democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into di ...

. However, modern South Korean political academia recognizes them as South Korea's first liberal party. However, unlike the current Democratic Party, the KDP was an right-wing anti-communist, Confucian conservative and economic liberal force hostile to communist forces in the

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

, advocating hatred and violence against leftist and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

History

The KDP was established in 1945 by conservative nationalists headed by

Song Jin-woo Song Jin-woo (Hangul: 송진우, Hanja: 宋津宇; born February 16, 1966) is a retired South Korean left-handed pitcher who played for the Hanwha Eagles his entire career. Song played in the KBO League for 21 seasons between and . He current ...

who were opposed to the

People's Republic of Korea The People's Republic of Korea (PRK) was a short-lived provisional government that was organized at the time of the surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of World War II. It was proclaimed on 6 September 1945, as Korea was being divided ...

government set up by Lyuh Woon-hyung, instead backing the

Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a partially recognized Korean government-in-exile based in Shanghai, China, and later in Chongqing, during the period of Japanese co ...

.Haruhiro Fukui (1985) ''Political parties of Asia and the Pacific'', Greenwood Press, pp670–671 After Song was assassinated later in the year, he was succeeded as leader by Kim Seong-su. The Democratic Party won a third of the seats in the Interim Legislative Assembly elections in October 1946, and although it opposed the Assembly's existence due to some of its leadership being excluded,South Korea Under United States Occupation, 1945-48
Library of Congress Country Studies the party provided several of the key figures in the interim administration. However, its closeness to the American occupation force, together with its association with the landed gentry, meant that it never gained significant popular support. In the May 1948 elections the party won only 29 of the 200 seats, and although it supported Syngman Rhee in the July 1948 presidential elections, none of its members were included in his cabinet, a snub that led to the party joining the opposition. On 10 February 1949, it merged with other groups in the legislature to form the Democratic Nationalist Party.

Electoral results

References

{{South Korean political parties Defunct political parties in South Korea Political parties established in 1945 Anti-communist parties Anti-communism in South Korea Classical liberal parties Social conservative parties Democratic parties in South Korea 1945 establishments in Korea Political parties disestablished in 1949 1949 disestablishments in South Korea

History

Electoral results

See also

References