{"id":2203943,"date":"2024-02-23T17:28:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T08:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2203943"},"modified":"2024-03-01T15:06:56","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T06:06:56","slug":"centrist-dreams-falter-as-south-koreas-big-tent-party-collapses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/centrist-dreams-falter-as-south-koreas-big-tent-party-collapses\/","title":{"rendered":"Election Watch: Centrist dreams falter as South Korea\u2019s big tent party collapses"},"content":{"rendered":"
Editor\u2019s note: Korea Pro\u2019s regular \u2018Election Watch\u2019 <\/span><\/i>series<\/span><\/i><\/a> covers key political developments in South Korea leading to the April 10 General Elections.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n The abrupt collapse of South Korea\u2019s New Reform Party (NRP) \u2014 advertised as a centrist alternative to the country\u2019s two dominant political parties \u2014 just 11 days after its formation has highlighted the difficulties of political coalition-building, threatening to alienate the centrist voters who could decide the election.<\/span><\/p>\n The NRP was co-led by former prime minister and Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Nak-yon and former People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But Lee Nak-yon has announced he will return to the New Futures Party (NFP) that he and other DP defectors previously started after leaving the DP, citing disputes with Lee Jun-seok about party control. Now only Lee Jun-seok and his small group of loyalists remain in the NRP.<\/span><\/p>\n Experts believe this shift may redirect progressive voters toward Lee Nak-yon, given their reservations about Lee Jun-seok\u2019s positions and the DP under Lee Jae-myung\u2019s leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing to watch out for after Lee Jun-seok and Lee Nak-yon\u2019s breakup is whether the anti-Lee Jae-myung factions within the DP will collectively leave the party to join Lee Nak-yon\u2019s,\u201d Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe DP defectors wouldn\u2019t have joined the NRP as long as Lee Jun-seok was co-chair. But now that the two Lees have divorced, it will make it much easier for other DP lawmakers dissatisfied with Lee Jae-myung\u2019s leadership to actually leave and join Lee Nak-yon\u2019s party.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES<\/b><\/p>\n Lee Nak-yon and Lee Jun-seok initially presented their unexpected alliance as a bridge between divergent political ideologies, positioning it as a centrist counter to the perceived shortcomings of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.<\/span><\/p>\n Their goal was to establish a \u201cbig tent\u201d party, a distinct alternative to the established PPP and DP, criticizing both for appeasing the president or insisting on defending a scandal-plagued opposition leader, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n Experts<\/span><\/a> initially told <\/span>Korea Pro<\/span><\/i> that the NRP\u2019s strength was its diverse mix of politicians, aiming to create a political entity focused on pragmatic policy-making rather than internal politics or personal attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n This strategy seemed to resonate with voters initially, as indicated by early polls showing a significant interest in the new party, with support levels <\/span>reaching<\/span><\/a> between 5 to 6% and up to 9% for proportional representation seats \u2014 figures notable for a newly formed minor party.<\/span><\/p>\n However, this alliance has now fallen apart due to disputes over control and resistance to compromise on ideological and policy grounds.<\/span><\/p>\n Cho Jin-man, a professor of political science at Duksung Women\u2019s University, attributed the NRP\u2019s dissolution to the co-leaders\u2019 failure to establish a unified political identity.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPresenting a big-tent coalition party to voters is not as simple as convenience stores offering a \u2018buy one get one free\u2019 deal. Such a party needs a coherent political identity, which they failed to provide,\u201d Cho said.<\/span><\/p>\n