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.

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April 09, 2020

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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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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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