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Intra-Party Politics and Minority Coalition Government in South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2008

YOUNGMI KIM*
Affiliation:
University of EdinburghYoungmi.kim@ed.ac.uk

Abstract

This paper examines the internal dynamics of Korean political parties to understand why the minority coalition government of Kim Dae-jung suffered from political stalemate or deadlocks in the legislature. It shows that a focus on the size of the government in terms of a majority status in the legislature does not offer a convincing explanation of why the Kim Dae-jung administration slid towards ungovernability. Instead better insights come from an analysis of party organization, an aspect of party politics rarely examined through in-depth analysis. The paper shows that in terms of the key dimensions of organization (leadership type, factionalism, funding, linkage role) Korean political parties fail to connect citizens to the political system.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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22 Lee Hoe-chang defected from the Grand National Party and became a non-party affiliated candidate for the presidential election in 2007 and gained 15% of total votes ranking the third in the presidential votes. The first was Lee Myung-bak gaining 48% and the second was Chung Dong-young with 26%.

23 Chosun Ilbo, 19 January 1999.

24 Since democratization regionalism has emerged as a crucial political cleavage in South Korea's politics. Kim Dae-jung had strong support from Jeolla Province and Kim Jong-pil from Chungcheong Province and the Lee Hoe-chang from Gyeongsnag province.

25 The National Congress for the New Politics (NCNP) was the ruling party led by Kim Dae-jung. In January 2000, it changed its name to the New Millennium Democratic Party (MDP).

26 Sekye Ilbo, 18 August 1998.

27 Chosun Ilbo, 9 February 1998.

28 When Kim Young-sam merged his party, the New Democratic Party, with two other parties, the Democratic Liberty Party and the United Liberal Democrats in 1990 some party members, including Lee Ki-taek and Roh Moo-hyun, left the party and founded the Democratic Party but after failing in the general election they all scattered; some such as Roh Moo-hyun joined the New Millennium Democratic Party and some the Grand National Party. Since that time, the Democratic Party is often called the ‘little’ Democratic Party.

29 Interview held in Seoul on 2 March 2006.

30 Kukmin Ilbo, 4 November 1999.

31 When the MDP was the opposition party (Kim Young-sam administration), the way it protested against the ruling party was very similar. For example, the members protested outside the National Assembly and refused to attend National Assembly meetings.

32 A mass party is ‘a party open to all and/or followed by masses of people’, see Sartori, Giovanni, Parties and Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis, Vol. I (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976)Google Scholar. It is highly bureaucratized and the elites control the party organization. On the other hand, cadre party is built around a select group of influential persons. These support candidates, conduct electoral campaigns, and handle the finances of the party.

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44 Interview held in Seoul on 9 March 2006.

45 Angello Panebianco, Political Parties.

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47 This trend of sharing official positions by the ruling parties did not change even during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. The president-elect Lee Myung-bak hinted at widespread corruption and the need reform in state-owned public enterprises such as the Korea Expressway Corporation, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea Development Bank, and Korea Telecom. The posts of president of the state-owned companies were often used to reward those who had helped the presidential candidate in his political career. The practice was often referred to as ‘parachute personnel’ as the personnel are appointed from the top, and not following the company's internal appointment procedures (Seoul Finance, 6 January 2008).

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59 Ibid, 166.

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61 The Roh Moo-hyun administration faced fierce opposition over the new reform policies on Private School Laws, which aimed at introducing an open process of selecting board members. According to the new laws, a few members of the school board would have to be recommended by parents and teachers associations of the school in order to prevent corruption by the school owners or founders. The GNP led by Park Geun-hye deserted the National Assembly meetings opting for protesting outside the legislature (Oh My News, 9 December 2005). Available from: http://www.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=263007&rel_no=1 [Accessed 5 October 2006].

62 Interview held in Seoul on 8 March 2006

63 Kukmin Ilbo, 11 May 1999; Seoul Sinmun, 10 May 1999.

64 The political parties’ local branches were abolished in March 2004 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.

65 People in South Korea gather for key family events but these not only involve the family but also friends and acquaintances. On such occasions, guests typically bring money gifts. This kind of gathering shows the person's social status: that is, the higher position or wealthier he or she is the more money is given, the more flowers on display at a particular event and so forth.

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