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4/10/2020 The North Korean Subplots in South Korea’s National Assembly Elections - The DiplomatReceived by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 04/10/2020 2:24:09 PM
THE I DIPLOMAT
THEKOREAS I POLITICS I EAST ASIA
The North Korean Subplots in South Korea's National Assembly ElectionsBesides a new party established by North Korean refugees, some big names are running for individual seats.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/the-nor plots-in-south-koreas-national-assembly-elections/Received
April 09, 2020
>/FARA Registration Unit 04/10/2020 2:24:09 PM
By Troy Stangarone
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4/10/2020 The North Korean Subplots in South Korea’s National Assembly Elections - The DiplomatReceived by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 04/10/2020 2:24:09 PM
ar
Thae Yong-ho speaks during a press
conference at the Seoul Foreign
Correspondent Club in Seoul, South Korea,
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020.
Credit: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
On April 15, South Koreans will vote in National
Assembly elections. While the coronavirus will
be prominent on every voter’s mind as they
head to the polls, a change in South Korea’s
electoral law means that there will also be an
increasing number of political parties to choose
from — including a political party founded by
refugees from North Korea.
Voting in South Korea consists of a mixed
system that allows voters to select a candidate
for their individual district, but also to vote for
the political party of their preference. Of the 300
members in the National Assembly, 253
members are directly elected and 47 are elected
via party lists based on votes for political
parties. The electoral reform was designed to
improve the chances of proportional
representation seats being awarded to minor
political parties.
In advance of this year’s National Assemblyelections, a group North Korean refugees
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established the South-North Unification Party
(SNUP) to give refugees from North Korea a
voice in South Korean politics and work to
improve the livelihoods of North Korean
refugees who have moved to the South.
Despite South Korean state aid for North
Koreans to transition to society, many stih
struggle relative to their South Korean
counterparts. While the average monthly salary
of North Korean refugees continues to rise, it
lags the average for South Koreans by around
600.000 won (around $500) per month. North
Koreans also face higher levels of
unemployment. The economic chahenges that
North Koreans face in South Korea were
highlighted last year by the tragic death last
year of a mother and son who died of
starvation.
This isn’t the first time that North Koreans have
sought political office in the South. In 2012, Cho
Myung-chul became the first North Korean
defector to serve in the National Assembly when
he won a proportional representation seat for
the New Frontier Party, now the United Future
Party (UFP). However, the formation of the
SNUP is the first time that there have been
efforts by North Korean refugees to form their
own political party.
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With only 33,500 North Korean refugees in
South Korea, the new party wih need expand its
support beyond refugees and to reach out to
South Koreans. With this in mind, in launching
their party the SNUP organizers said, “We will
create a party that can encompass both the
commonalities and differences of ah 80 million
people of the South and the North ... We wih
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also address the worst human rights violations
and the miserable realities of North Korean
people living unaware of freedom and human
rights.”
In the current elections, the SNUP is running
just two proportional representation candidates
and has a party platform with policies designed
to appeal to South Koreans more generally.
These include proposals for a basic income of
700,000 won and a basic housing income for
lower income individuals, as well as a shorter
working day and a proposal to implement a
form of free college tuition.
For North Korean refugees, the party is calling
for increased support through the Hanawon
program that transitions North Koreans into
South Korean society.
With most North Korean refugees opposed to
the regime in Pyongyang, the party is also
looking for a voice in North Korea policy and
hope to see greater continuity in that policy
from administration to administration. They are
also pushing policies for unification that would
require that aid be provided to the people in
North Korea rather than the regime, and that
there be a stronger institutional framework to
promote human rights in North Korea.
In addition to the SNUP, two other North
Koreans are running for office. Thae Yong-ho.
the former deputy chief of mission to North
Korea’s embassy to the United Kingdom and one
of the more prominent North Korean defectors,
is running in the Gangnam A district as the
candidate for the opposition United Future
Party. This is the first time that a North Korean
has run as a candidate in an individual district.
Ji Seong-ho, who attended President Donald
Trump’s State of the Union Address in 2018, is
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4/10/2020 The North Korean Subplots in South Korea’s National Assembly Elections - The DiplomatReceived by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 04/10/2020 2:24:09 PM
running for a proportional representation seat
for the UFP.
Polling suggests that it is unlikely that the SNUP
will win a seat in the National Assembly, though
as candidates for a mainstream party Thae and
Ji may be more successful. However, the SNUP’s
formation is still an important milestone for
North Korean refugees in the political process.
While the SNUP might not be successful this
election, its formation raises questions about
what is the best way to represent the needs of
North Koreans in South Korea and whether
South Koreans are willing to support a political
party led by refugees from the North.
AUTHORS
CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
Troy Stangarone
Troy Stangarone is Senior Director
and Fellow at the Korea Economic
Institute of America (KEI).
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TAGS
The Koreas Politics East Asia North Korea South Korea
North Korean defectors in South Korea North Korean Refugees
South Korea 2020 elections South-North Unification Party
Thae Yong-ho United Future Party
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