Open Democratic Party

{{Infobox political party

| native_name = 열린민주당

| native_name_lang = ko

| logo = Logo of Open Democratic Party Korea.svg

| colorcode = {{party color|Open Democrats}}

| abbreviation = ODP

| leader = Kim Sang-gyun

| founder = Chung Bong-ju (original)
Kim Sang-gyun (re-founded)

| founded = {{ublist

| 8 March 2020 (original)

| December 2022 (refounded)

}}

| split = Democratic Party of Korea

| merged = Democratic Party of Korea

| headquarters = Yeongdeungpo, Seoul

| ideology = {{nowrap|Liberalism (South Korean){{Cite web |title=COVID-19 Factor Powers South Korea's Ruling Party to Historic Victory |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/covid-19-factor-powers-south-koreas-ruling-party-to-historic-victory/ |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}}}

| position = Centre to centre-left{{Cite web |last=IANS |date=2020-04-16 |title=S.Korean ruling party wins landslide victory in parliamentary polls |url=https://kalingatv.com/world/s-korean-ruling-party-wins-landslide-victory-in-parliamentary-polls/ |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=KalingaTV |language=en-US}}

| national = New Progressive Alliance

| colours = {{colour box|{{party color|Open Democrats}}}} Blue

| website = {{URL|https://openminju.co.kr/}}

| country = South Korea

}}

The Open Democratic Party ({{langx|ko|열린민주당}}) is a liberal political party in South Korea formed on 8 March 2020. The party was absorbed back into the Democratic Party of Korea on 14 January 2022. The party was later revived in 2023 and ran in the 2024 South Korean legislative election as part of the New Progressive Alliance.

History

On 28 February 2020, Chung Bong-ju, a former Democratic MP, announced his intention to form a new party.{{Cite web |last=이 |first=보배 |date=2020-02-28 |script-title=ko:정봉주, 비례정당 '열린민주당' 창당…"민주당 위성정당 아냐" |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200228081700001 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=Yonhap News Agency |language=ko}} He had initially launched his bid to run for Seoul Gangseo 1st constituency for 2020 election under the Democratic banner{{Cite web |date=2020-01-22 |script-title=ko:정봉주 "강서갑 출마…당 지도부와 설 전 만날 것" |url=https://www.donga.com/news/article/all/20200122/99368763/1 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=The Dong-A Ilbo |language=ko}} but was disqualified by the party due to controversies including sexual harassment.{{Cite web |title=TISTORY |url=https://www.newbc.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=8530 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=www.newbc.kr}} He, however, declared not to run for the election.

Lee Keun-shik, the then-leader of the group, harshly criticized the United Future Party (UFP) for establishing its satellite party, the Future Korea Party (FKP), in order to overcome the new electoral law granting proportional seats.{{cite news |date= 28 February 2020|script-title=ko:정봉주, 비례 정당 '열린민주당' 창당 선언…"저는 21대 총선서 국회 들어가지 않겠다"|url= https://www.hankyung.com/politics/article/202002282411i|access-date= 8 March 2020}} He denounced the UFP's action as "immoral" while emphasising they will stop the UFP-FKP duo to win the election.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-28 |script-title=ko:결국 진보비례정당 '열린민주당' 등장 |url=http://www.kukinews.com/newsView/kuk202002280339 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=쿠키뉴스 |language=ko}}

Sohn Hye-won, an independent MP who had quit the Democratic Party, announced they would join this party.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-06 |script-title=ko:손혜원, 정봉주와 손잡아…열린민주당 8일 창당 |url=https://www.news1.kr/articles/?3865380 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website={{ill|News1 (South Korean company)|ko|뉴스1|lt=News1}} |language=ko}}

On 8 March 2020, the party was officially formed and elected Lee Keun-shik as its president.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-08 |script-title=ko:정봉주 주도 '열린민주당' 공식 출범…이근식 대표 추대 |url=https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/5304234 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=No Cut News}}

The party gained only three seats, much less than expectations. Lee resigned on 19 April in order to take responsibility of the party's defeat.{{Cite web |date=2020-04-19 |script-title=ko:열린민주, 이근식·정봉주 사임…최강욱 비대위 체제 |url=https://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/5330463 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=No Cut News}} On 12 May 2020, Choi Kang-wook was elected as the new president of the party.{{Cite web |last=정 |first=환봉 |date=2020-05-12 |script-title=ko:열린민주당 첫 당대표에 최강욱 당선자 선출 |url=https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/assembly/944581.html |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=열린민주당 첫 당대표에 최강욱 당선자 선출 |language=ko}}

On December 26, 2021, it was announced that the Open Democratic Party had agreed to unify with the Democratic Party, with the latter remaining the party name. The Democratic Party leaders agreed to accept all the conditions suggested by the Open Democratic Party. The process was expected to be completed in January 2022.{{Cite web |script-title=ko:민주·열린민주, 당명 '더불어민주당'으로 합당 합의 |url=https://v.daum.net/v/20211226112405497 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=언론사 뷰}}

On 14 January 2022, the Open Democratic Party and its 3 proportional representative members of Parliament was fully absorbed into the Democratic Party of Korea.

Political positions

The party had criticised the Democratic Party for adopting a more conservative approach in recent years. However, Sohn Hye-won said that the party welcomed both conservatives and progressives, should they have wished to join.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-07 |script-title=ko:열린민주당, 보수쪽으로까지 정치 스펙트럼 '확장' |url=http://www.goodmorningcc.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=228349 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=굿모닝충청 |language=ko}}

2023 recreation

On 18 December 2022, a political party named the "Open Democratic Party" was filed for creation under the National Election Commission. This party uses the same logo, party colors, and slogans of the disbanded 2020 Open Democratic Party. The recreation is led by YouTuber-turned-politician Kim Sang-gyun and does not include any of the former party leaders from the 2020 rendition. The 2023 rendition of the Open Democratic Party's founding committee expressed that it would succeed the existing Open Democratic Party in terms of not only the party name but also the platform and policies in order to realize the reform values of the past Open Democratic Party that could not be realized.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-29 |script-title=ko:열린민주당 '재창당' 김상균 "더불어민주당과 합당은 더이상 없다" |url=http://www.goodmorningcc.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=273635 |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=굿모닝충청 |language=ko}}

Former members of the 2020 Open Democratic Party condemned the recreation of the Party, saying it was the party members' wishes to merge with the Democratic Party. Former 2020 Open Democratic Party members also condemned the "outright theft" of the 2020 Party's slogans, representative color codes, and logo designs.

It joined a coalition with the Basic Income Party to create the New Progressive Alliance for the 2024 South Korean legislative election.{{Cite web |last=WorldsNewsNow |date=2024-02-05 |title="Same meaning as the anti-imperialist coalition" "Trick in the 3rd zone" [민주, '꼼수 위성정당' 회귀] |url=https://worldsnewsnow.com/same-meaning-as-the-anti-imperialist-coalition-trick-in-the-3rd-zone-%EB%AF%BC%EC%A3%BC-%EA%BC%BC%EC%88%98-%EC%9C%84%EC%84%B1%EC%A0%95%EB%8B%B9-%ED%9A%8C/ |access-date=2024-02-14 |website=World's News Now |language=en-GB}}

Election results

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" \| Election ! rowspan="2" \| Leader ! colspan="3" \| Constituency ! colspan="3" \| Party list ! rowspan="2" \| Seats ! rowspan="2" \| Position ! rowspan="2" \| Status
Votes ! % ! Seats ! Votes ! % ! Seats
2020 \| Lee Keun-shik \| colspan="3" bgcolor="lightgrey" \| \| 1,512,763 \| 5.4 \| {{Composition bar\|3\|47\|hex={{party color\|Open Democrats}}}} \| {{Composition bar\|3\|300\|hex={{party color\|Open Democrats}}}} \| 5th \| {{No2\|Opposition}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan="2" | Election

! rowspan="2" | Leader

! colspan="3" | Constituency

! colspan="3" | Party list

! rowspan="2" | Seats

! rowspan="2" | Position

! rowspan="2" | Status

Votes

! %

! Seats

! Votes