Unification National Party

The Unification National Party (Korean: 통일국민당 Tongil-gugmin-dang) was a political party which was founded in 1992 by Chung Ju-yung, founder of Hyundai Group.

Unification National Party
통일국민당 (Hangul)
統一國民黨 (Hanja)
LeaderChung Ju-yung
Founded1992
Dissolved1994
Merged intoNew Democratic Party
IdeologyLiberal conservatism
Economic liberalism
Political positionCentre-right
Colours  Light green (#22B14C)
  Light green (#3CD370)

History

The party was founded in January 1992 ahead of the 1992 legislative election in March, for which Chung announced his candidacy. The use of the word "unification" in the party's name reflects a common theme in earlier South Korean politics to consider Korean reunification an important issue, something which has become less common today.[1] Nonetheless, Chung and his party formed primarily in reaction to the government's strict attempts to regulate chaebol conglomerates and called for economic deregulation and liberalisation.[2] The party also criticised the nascent Gyeongbu high-speed railway as a government fundraising project for the upcoming election.[3] The party succeeded in winning 31 seats,[4] which was the main reason for the ruling Democratic Justice Party's loss of an outright majority.[2]

In the 1992 presidential election held in December, the UNP ran on a primarily economic agenda, criticising both the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP) of Kim Young-sam for falling behind on economic growth as well as Kim Dae-jung for being too "radical."[5] It was speculated at the time that Chung would seek to primarily win over moderately conservative voters from the DLP, particularly the upper-middle class, but his performance was below expectations, obtaining only 16.1% of the popular vote and ending up in third place behind both Kims.[6] After the election defeat, many members of the UNP defected in favour of the ruling DLP.[6]

Sometime after the election, Chung was subjected to financial investigations and, in February 1993, resigned from the National Assembly and left the party while these investigations were ongoing. Chung was eventually sentenced to three years in prison for violating the Election Act and the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes Act. He was found guilty of diverting $62.8 million from Hyundai Group to his political campaigns, although he was not jailed due to his age.[7]

In 1994, the New Political Reform Party merged with the Unification National Party in order to form the New Democratic Party.

Past leadership
No. 역대 대표 Tenures
1 Chung Ju-yung 8 February 1992 ~ 10 February 1993
Acting Park Young-rok 11 February 1993 ~ 19 February 1993
2 Kim Dong-gil 20 February 1993 ~ 24 February 1993

Electoral history

Presidential
Election Total seats won Total votes Share of votes Status Election leader
1992
0 / 1
 3,880,067 16.3% Unelected Chung Ju-yung

Legislative
Election Total seats won Total votes Share of votes Outcome of election Status Election leader
1992
31 / 299
 3,574,419 17.37% 31 seats; Minority Opposition Chung Ju-yung

References
  1. He, Baogang (2001). "The National Identity Problem and Democratization: Rustow's Theory of Sequence". Government and Opposition. 36 (1): 97–119. ISSN 0017-257X.
  2. Kim, In Chul; Kim, Mahn-Kee; Boyer, William W. (1994). "Privatization of South Korea's Public Enterprises". The Journal of Developing Areas. 28 (2): 157–166. ISSN 0022-037X.
  3. Nam, Chang-Hee (1995). "South Korea's Big Business Clientelism in Democratic Reform". Asian Survey. 35 (4): 357–366. doi:10.2307/2645800. ISSN 0004-4687.
  4. West, James M.; Yoon, Dae-kyu (1992). "The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea: Transforming the Jurisprudence of the Vortex?". The American Journal of Comparative Law. 40: 73–119 – via JSTOR.
  5. Wade, Larry L.; Kang, Sung Jin (1993). "THE DEMOCRATIC BREAKOUT IN SOUTH KOREA: AN INFORMAL GAME-THEORETIC ACCOUNT". Asian Perspective. 17 (2): 39–70. ISSN 0258-9184.
  6. Kim, Hee-min (1994). "A Theory of Government-Driven Democratization: The Case of Korea". World Affairs. 156 (3): 130–140. ISSN 0043-8200.
  7. "Hyundai Founder Sentenced For Violating Election Laws". The New York Times. 1993-11-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
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