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Politics22 January 1990

Three-Party Merger

Also called: 1990 party merger

Facing an opposition-controlled National Assembly, the ruling Democratic Justice Party merged with the Reunification Democratic Party and the New Democratic Republican Party to form the Democratic Liberal Party.

In the April 1988 general election the ruling Democratic Justice Party failed to win a majority, leaving the opposition in control of the National Assembly. Hearings led by the opposition took up the corruption of the Fifth Republic and the truth of the 18 May uprising.

On 22 January 1990 Roh Tae-woo's Democratic Justice Party, Kim Young-sam's Reunification Democratic Party and Kim Jong-pil's New Democratic Republican Party announced a merger, and in February the Democratic Liberal Party was launched as a giant ruling party with more than two-thirds of the seats. Kim Young-sam won the presidency as its candidate in 1992.

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States and rulers at the time
South Korea — President Roh Tae-woo

People

  • Roh Tae-woo1932 – 2021

    leader · 13th President (1988–1993). Announced the June 29 Declaration, became the first president directly elected under the 1987 constitution, and pursued Nordpolitik

  • Kim Young-sam1927 – 2015

    leader · 14th President (1993–1998). Introduced the real-name financial system and full local autonomy; the 1997 currency crisis came at the end of his term

  • Kim Jong-pil1926 – 2018

    leader · Politician who took part in the 16 May coup, headed the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, served as prime minister and joined the 1990 three-party merger

Before and after

Earlier
1988 Seoul Olympics
Later
1991 Simultaneous Admission of the Two Koreas to the UN