Liberalism in South Korea - Introduction

Introduction

Note: the word Liberal in South Korea is often used by conservative groupings (See New Right in South Korea). Liberal parties tend to label themselves as "Democratic" or "Progressive" instead.

There has been a tradition of liberal parties since 1955, often organized around persons. Presently the Democratic Party, the Democratic Labor Party, and the New Progressive Party are the main successors of the liberal parties' tradition

"Liberal" movements in Korea also differ markedly from liberal movements elsewhere by strongly emphasizing patriotism and ethnic nationalism (especially with regard to Korean reunification) instead of "civic," or "liberal nationalism", a characteristic shared with North Korea. These emphasis has resulted in "Liberalism" being closely associated with Pro-North Korea sentiments in the political sphere. In this critical respect "liberalism" in South Korea bears very little resemblance to "liberalism" as it is understood elsewhere in the world.

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