Breakaway parties roil South Korea’s two-party system

Contemporary South Korean politics has traditionally been dominated by just two main parties – in common with many other countries with strong presidential systems. But that could soon change.

Recent voter discontent is creating opportunities for smaller political parties in the upcoming parliamentary election on April 10, 2024.

Heading into that vote, the two main parties – President Yoon Suk Yeol’s People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party – between them hold 270 seats in the 300-member parliament. But both parties are grappling with internal struggles and political controversies that are fueling the prospect of new, breakaway parties making gains.

The result could be a multi-party legislature. As a political scientist with a focus on East Asia and international affairs, I believe that outcome has the potential to transform the country’s domestic and international agenda.

Parliamentary gridlock

Polling suggests that South Koreans haven’t been happy with the performance of their politicians for years, with one 2022 survey putting trust in the national assembly at just 24%. Events since then are unlikely to have improved confidence in either main party.

Since Yoon was elected president in 2022, his legislative agenda has been met with resistance by the opposition-controlled National Assembly. His plans for reforming the country’s education, pension and labor systems have stalled as a result.

Meanwhile, Yoon has vetoed multiple bills passed by the National Assembly, such as the “yellow envelope” law, which limits companies’ lawsuits for damage claims over labor union disputes, and legislation calling for special probes into the crowd crush inside Seoul’s Itaewon district during Halloween weekend in 2022 that