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New Conservative Party

Voters in Korea tend to prefer individual district candidates representing major parties while casting ballots for underdogs in separate polling for parties. In December 2019 a coalition of ruling and minor parties revised election laws, making it easier for smaller parties to win additional seats in the event they receive more party ballots than their district candidates' individual victories. In response, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party devised the "Proportional Liberty Korea Party" to protect conservative presence under the new mixed-member proportional representation.

Ahead of the general elections in April 2020, eight lawmakers of the Bareunmirae Party (BP) bolted from the minor opposition to join the envisioned New Conservative Party. They planned to unify the divided conservative camp, or at least form a makeshift coalition of conservative opposition groups, by early February.

Rep. Yoo Seong-min said: "Dear fellow citizens, we are leaving the Bareunmirae Party today." Conservative heavyweight Yoo Seong-min, Bareunmirae Party floor leader Oh Shin-hwan and six other lawmakers announced 03 January 2020 that they were leaving the minor opposition party. Joined by former BP supreme council members Kwon Eun-hee and Lee Jun-seok, together they planned to create a new party next week. "Although we are still weak and small in number, we will rebuild the collapsed conservatism from the ground up. We will be reborn as a new conservative camp to replace and keep in check the Moon Jae-in regime that is ruining the country with its inability, self-righteousness, corruption and violations."

Amid the influence-peddling scandal that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017, Rep. Yoo left the then ruling Saenuri Party and created the reformist Bareun Party. The conservative splinter group then merged with the People's Party, led by reform-minded Ahn Cheol-soo and liberal lawmakers, but that formula turned out to be a mix of oil and water.

The eight lawmakers and eleven other conservative defectors are expected to hold the first convention of the "New Conservative Party" on 06 January 2020. They planned to unify the divided conservative camp, or at least form a makeshift coalition of conservative opposition groups, by early February in an attempt to win a majority in parliament in the general elections slated for April 15.

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party(LKP) and the minor New Conservative Party formally launched discussions to unite forces ahead of April's general elections. New Conservative Party chief Ha Tae-keung said Monday that party leadership decided that the LKP accepted his party's three principles for rebuilding conservatism by agreeing to principles set forth by an alliance of conservative groups supporting unity. Assessing the latest development as a step forward in the reconstruction of conservatism and innovative unity, Ha said his party is prepared to surrender its rights, including the right to nominate candidates.

LKP Chair Hwang Kyo-ahn earlier said the principles presented by the committee representing the alliance includes the three points the New Conservative Party requested. Defectors of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party say they launched the New Conservative Party to foster a conservative party that is positively inclined towards innovation and that won't make an issue out of former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. The committee representing conservative groups stated it plans to unify all forces that oppose President Moon Jae-in, reflect the voices of the country's young generation and pursue liberty and fairness.

Proportional Liberty Korea Party

South Korea's National Election Commission finalized revised polling regulations for the April 15 general elections and disapproved of the main opposition's makeshift election strategy of creating a satellite party, dubbed the "Proportional Liberty Korea Party." The election watchdog stressed that new parties must be named in a way that clearly distinguishes it from existing parties.

Creating a satellite party was the main opposition's defense strategy against minor parties, which are expected to win more seats under the revised proportional representation rules. In a plenary session, the National Election Commission(NEC) rejected the idea of creating the "Proportional Liberty Korea Party" ahead of the April parliamentary elections. While disapproving the creation of the "Proportional LKP," the election watchdog issued a statement citing Article 41 of the Political Party Law which bans the use of similar sounding names in the titles of political entities. But for the Liberty Korea Party, having a satellite party with a similar sounding name was key so that voters will be able to easily associate the two parties.

The LKP argued the ruling Democratic Party agreed to the revised election laws proposed by the minor Justice Party only to gain smaller parties' support in the passage of a series of bills needed for the creation of a new anti-corruption investigative bureau.