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 June 1960. The First Republic was founded on 15 August 1948, and it became the first independent republican government in Korea. Syngman Rhee was the first p ...

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

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

group with high educational standards, and believed they sought to establish a

Western-style democracy Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal democracy are: ...

in Korea. However, modern South Korean political academia recognizes them as South Korea's first liberal party. Viewed as a party of the

right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...

, the character of the KDP was anti-communist, Confucian-conservative, and economically liberal.

History

The KDP was established in 1945 by conservative nationalists headed by

Song Jin-woo Song Jin-woo (; born February 16, 1966) is a South Korean retired left-handed pitcher. Song played in the KBO League for 21 seasons between and with the Hanwha Eagles. He currently holds several pitching records for the KBO, including his 21 ...

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 divi ...

government set up by

Lyuh Woon-hyung Lyuh Woon-hyung (; 25 May 1886 – 19 July 1947), also known by his art name Mongyang (), was a Korean independence movement, Korean independence activist and Korean reunification, reunification activist. Lyuh was a prominent figure in the Pro ...

, 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 Korean government-in-exile based in Republic of China (1912–1949), China during Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese rule over K ...

.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 Kim Seong-su (; October 11, 1891 – February 18, 1955), art name Inchon, was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician, and calligrapher. He served as the second Vice President of South Korea from 1951 to ...

. 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 Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the United States Library of Congress, freely available for use by researchers. No copyright is claimed on them. Therefore, they have been dedicated to the public domain ...

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 Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

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 Pro-Americanism

History

Electoral results

See also

References