Progressive Party (South Korea, 1956)

The Progressive Party (Korean: 진보당; Hanja: 進步黨) was a short-lived moderate socialist political party founded after the Korean War in South Korea under the leadership of Cho Bong-am.[2] It was a major political force from 1956 to 1958, and fell apart in 1959.

Not to be confused with Progressive Party (South Korea, 2017).
Progressive Party

진보당
LeaderCho Pong-am
General SecretaryYun Kil-chung
FoundedJanuary 26, 1956 (1956-01-26) (de facto)
November 10, 1956 (1956-11-10) (de jure)
DissolvedFebruary 25, 1958 (1958-02-25)
HeadquartersJongro 2-ga, Jongro-gu, South Korea
Membership (1956)around 1,500[1]
IdeologyPlanned democracy
Social democracy
Democratic socialism
Peaceful reunification
Political positionCentre-left to left-wing
Progressive Party
Hangul
진보당
Hanja
進步黨
Revised RomanizationJinbodang
McCune–ReischauerChinbodang

History

The Progressive Party was founded in the aftermath of the Korean War under Cho's leadership. Cho and his followers were able to build a wide coalition with the country's leftist forces. Cho also successfully created coalitions right-wing forces opposed to Syngman Rhee's dictatorship. The party's founding and moderate success in Korea's hostile political environment is considered a large result of Bong-am's personal charisma. The Progressive Party advocated peaceful unification with North Korea, through strengthening the country's democratic forces and winning in a unified Korean election. Cho called for both anti-communist and anti-authoritarian politics, as well as advocating for social welfare policies for the peasants and urban poor.[3]

In the 1956 election, Cho ran against Rhee, the anti-communist strongman president. Cho lost with 30% of the vote, which exceeded expectations. Following the election, the Progressive Party broke apart due to factionalism.[3]

References
  1. "徐·曺 兩氏 對立去益深刻" [The conflict between Seo and Jo is more intensifying]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 1956-08-12. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
  2. Kim, Yunjong (2016). The Failure of Socialism in South Korea: 1945 - 2007. New York: Routledge. p. 54.
  3. Han, Sungjoo (1974). The Failure of Democracy in South Korea. University of California Press. p. 79.
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