Progressivism () in South Korea is a left-leaning political ideology, broadly associated with social democracy, cultural progressivism, and left-wing nationalism.현연, 조. 2019. 한국 진보 정당 운동사. 후마니타스. pp. 134-134, 141-142 It advocates for the promotion of social equality and welfare, economic justice, the protection of human rights and minority groups, peace and the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, as well as environmental sustainability.
Modern South Korean progressivism emerged and took shape during the resistance to military dictatorship and became a distinct political movement in the 1990s. As the pro-democracy student activists from the 1970s and 1980s matured into progressive political leadership, their views on society, history, economy, and foreign policy feature prominently in progressive narratives. Domestically, progressives promote economic justice and labor rights in response to the dominance of chaebols in Korean economy, stemming from dirigisme during military dictatorships. Internationally, they take a conciliatory stance toward North Korea and have developed anti-American sentiments, viewing the United States as a supporter of the authoritarian regimes during pro-democracy struggles. The more progressive faction of the movement calls for the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in South Korea.
Historically, there have been communist elements within the progressive movement, but they have been largely powerless in contemporary South Korean politics.현연, 조. 2019. 한국 진보 정당 운동사. 후마니타스. pp. 198-199, 221-222
History Labor movement
South Korean labor movements have been consistently driven by left-leaning labor organizations since liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. Many of the political prisoners under imperial Japan were leftists and labor activists. Trade unions grew dramatically in liberated Korea, with Chŏnp'yŏng ()a communist-led unionhaving a membership of 574,475 by late 1945 and nearly a quarter-million by summer of 1946. However, the United States Army Military Government in Korea suppressed worker protests organized by Chŏnp'yŏng, arresting union leaders and forcing railroad workers back to work.
In the 1960s, Park Chung Hee implemented a centrally controlled economy that prioritized the growth of large Korean conglomerates, or chaebols, while maintaining strict control over the working class. In the Peace Market along Cheonggyecheon in downtown Seoul, over 20,000 women labored under inhumane working conditions in garment sweatshops. They worked an average of 15 hours a day, often cramped in spaces just 3 feet high, forcing them to remain seated or bent over for long periods of time. Upon witnessing the cruel workspaces of the workers, Jeon Tae-il engaged in labor activism to no avail and later in 1970 self-immolated in protest, shouting "Workers are human beings, too". Jeon's suicide sparked national interest and galvanized labor-rights movements into the 1970s.
When the citizens of Gwangju rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorial regime in 1980, the Chun regime responded with brutal military force, killing a still disputed number, estimated to be in the hundreds and sometimes thousands. After the Gwangju Uprising, Chun's regime continued cracking down on labor organizing, removing and blacklisting thousands of activists from union positions. Through all of this, the United States not only did not intervene but also allowed Chun to move key military unitsthe US-Korean Combined Forces Commandthat had been under US jurisdiction.
The South Korean pro-democracy and labor activists, who had largely been pro-American and viewed the United States as a beacon of human rights and liberal democracy, were dismayed by the Carter administration's response and later the Reagan administration's embrace of the Chun regime in 1981. This disillusionment led the South Korean intellectuals to reject pro-US developmentalist neoliberalism, making room for various strands of Marxism to gain popularity. The resulting anti-Americanism fostered the view of South Korea as a US colony and prompted a reevaluation of labor organizing. This gave rise to the Social Formation Debate, centered on identifying the primary revolutionary agent: the working class or the Korean people.
The progressive movement in South Korea emerged from the debate splintered into the PD () faction and NL () faction. The PD faction prioritized equality, identifying the working class as the principal revolutionary agent and focusing on labor movements to challenge the dominance and monopoly of large corporations in Korea and fight for labor rights in Korea. In contrast, the NL faction adopted a left-wing nationalistic approach and viewed the ethnic Korean peopleboth in the North and the Southto be the principal revolutionary agent, arguing that Korean people should unite to resist American imperialism. The NL faction also tends to wage culture wars with conservatives over leftist Korean independence figures among other issues. The NL faction is also deemed as being pro-North Korea and pro-communist by conservatives.
The PD faction grew into a Western-style leftist party, influenced by modern liberalism and social democracy, while NL was a left-wing nationalist party that mixes ethnic nationalism, reunificationism and social progressivism. PD and NL are political terms that refer to the two pillars of South Korea's progressive camp and are still frequently used today. As of now, the representative PD-affiliated progressive party is the Justice Party, and the representative NL-affiliated progressive party is the Progressive Party.
Shinjwapa After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the New Left movement in Europe and the United States and postmodernist discourse became known, creating a Sinjwapa () in South Korea. They advocate youth rights, LGBT rights and feminism. Currently, South Korea's representative Sinjwapa parties include the Green Party and Basic Income Party.
Progressive parties Gujwapa (Old Left) Communist or far-left socialist Workers' Party of South Korea (1946–1949; banned) Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front → National Democratic Front of South Korea → Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front (1969–; banned) Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party → Labor Party (2016–2022; unregistered; merged) People's Democracy Party (2016–)
Hyeoksingye (Innovation-faction) Preparatory Committee for National Construction → People's Party of Korea → People's Labor Party (1945–1950) Socialist Party (1951–1953) Progressive Party (1956–1958; banned) United Socialist Party of Korea (1961–1967; banned 1961–1966)
Minjungminju (PD) The People's Party (1990–1992) People's Victory 21 → Democratic Labor Party (1997–2011) Youth Progressive Party → Socialist Party → Hope Socialist Party → Korea Socialist Party → Socialist Party (1998–2012) New Progressive Party (2008–2012) Unified Progressive Party (2011–2012) Progressive Justice Party → Justice Party (2012–) - However, there are a few Minjokhaebang and Shinjwapa factions in the Justice Party. Green-Justice Party (2024) Korean Democratic Labor Party (2025) Labor Party (2013–) Socialist Revolutionary Workers' Party → Labor Party (2016–2022; unregistered; merged)
Minjokhaebang (NL) People's Victory 21 → Democratic Labor Party (1997–2011) Unified Progressive Party (2011–2014; banned)Yonhap News Agency, December 19, 2014, , "...South Korea's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the dissolution of a pro-North Korean minor opposition party..." People's United Party (2016–2017) New People's Party (2017) Minjung Party → Progressive Party (2017–)
Shinjwapa (New Left) Green Social Democrats (2004) Green Peace Party (2002–2004) Social Democratic Party of Korea (2002–2004) Green Party Korea (2012–) Future Party (2017–) Basic Income Party (2020-) New Progressive Alliance (2024) Social Democratic Party (2024-)
Progressive-liberal Democratic Independent Party (1947–1948) Progressive Party (1956–1958) People's Party (1988) Hankyoreh Democratic Party (1988–1991) Popular Party (1989–1992) Participation Party (2010–2011) Unified Progressive Party (2011–2012, factions) Youth Party (2012) Justice Party (2012–) Peace and Justice (2018) Future Party (2017–) Basic Income Party (2020–) Let's Go! Environmental Party (2020–) Democratic Alliance of Korea (2024; satellite of the liberal DPK, the NPA and the Progressive Party)
Progressive media OhmyNews – liberal-leaning bias Pressian – progressive Voice of the People – progressive, resistance nationalism – feminism
Progressive personalities
Bong Joon-ho Ha-Joon Chang
Hong Sehwa Hong Seok-cheon Jang Hye-young Jeon Tae-il Kim Yeo-jin Kwon In-sook Lim Su-kyung Lee Hyori
Lyuh Woon-hyung Moon Ik-hwan Park Chan-wook Rhyu Si-min Roh Hoe-chan Roh Su-hui Ryu Ho-jeong Pak Noja Shin Hae-chul Sim Sang-jung Yun Hyon-seok
Major progressive parties election results of South Korea Presidential elections ElectionCandidateTotal votesShare of votesOutcomeParty name1952Cho Pong-am797,50411.4%Defeated Independent1956Cho Pong-am2,163,80830.0%Defeated Independent1987Baik Ki-wanQuit midway throughIndependent1992Baik Ki-wan238,6481.0%Defeated Independent1997Kwon Young-ghil306,0261.2%Defeated People's Victory 212002Kwon Young-ghil957,1483.9%Defeated Democratic Labor Party2007Kwon Young-ghil712,1213.0%Defeated Democratic Labor PartyGeum Min18,2230.07%Defeated Korea Socialist Party2012Lee Jung-heeQuit midway throughUnified Progressive PartyKim So-yeon16,6870.05%Defeated IndependentKim Soon-ja46,0170.15%Defeated Independent2017Sim Sang-jung2,017,4586.17%Defeated Justice PartyKim Sun-dong27,2290.08%Defeated People's United Party2022Sim Sang-jung803,3582.38%Defeated Justice PartyKim Jae-yeon37,3660.11%Defeated Progressive PartyOh Jun-ho18,1050.05%Defeated Basic Income PartyLee Baek-yun9,1760.03%Defeated Labor Party2025Kwon Yeong-guk344,1500.98%Defeated Democratic Labor Party
Legislative elections