The Left

Logo of the Left Alliance

The Alliance for Progress and Democracy, simply known as "The Left" is a political alliance consisting of the National Party of Korea, National Party in the Japanese Protectorate, Labour Party, Justice Party, Unified Progressive Parties, among others. Like its rival The Liberal Alliance, the Left works to improve relations with parties on the left and, ensure cooperation between parties on the left in order to prevent a right-wing government from being able to form on any level of government. The Alliance was founded in 2010 by Democratic Party, later National Party leaders to unite parties on the political left after a massive electoral loss in the 2010 Elections, and is active in the National Assembly, and in most provincial level territories.

In 2021, the 2nd Congress of the Left successfully passed Congressional Resolution 21-001, which renewed the Charter of Mutual Cooperation of Parties (the founding document of the alliance) for another 5 years.

The official logo of the Alliance is the rose, the international symbol of labour movements, social democracy, and democratic socialist, and socialist movements worldwide.

## Member Parties

### Founding Members

1. National Party of Korea (The most senior party and most influential of the parties)
2. Labour Party
3. Justice Party
4. Communist Party of Korea
5. Worker's Party of Korea
6. United Worker's Party of Korea
7. Democratic Socialist Party of Korea

#### Members

1. Social Democratic Party of Korea (Joined in 2012)
2. United Democratic Party of Korea (Joined in 2013)
3. Christian People's Party (Joined in 2013)
4. United Korean Republican People's Party (Joined in 2014)
5. Korean Green Party (Joined in 2017)

### Provincial Parties

1. Dokdo Korean People's Party (Joined in 2014)
2. Chinese Communist Party (Joined in 2015)
3. Grand Party of Vietnam (Joined in 2015)
4. Philippine National People's Party (Joined in 2015)
5. Worker's Party of China (Joined in 2016)
6. United Party of Cambodia (Joined in 2017)

### Municipal Parties

1. Suwon People's Progressive Party (Joined in 2012)
2. National Party of Beijing (Joined in 2012)

### Territorial Parties

1. National Party of Japan (Joined in 2012)

## President of the Alliance

The President of the Alliance is the highest position within the Alliance, and is rotated between the highest ranking member of each of the member parties The President of the Alliance is serves for a 5 year term and is limited to two terms maximum.

## History of Alliance Presidents

### 2010 Election for the President of the Alliance for Progress and Democracy

In 2010, the first election was held for the President of the Alliance. In total there were over 10,000 voting members in the election, the majority voted for Jeong Tae-yeon, a junior representative from Gyeonggi-do province, and who represented the young Progressive wing of the Democratic Party. She took office in 2010, and thus resigned from her position as a representative in the National Assembly.

### 2014 Election for the President of the Alliance for Progress and Democracy

In 2014, the second ever election for the President of the Alliance was held. Incumbent Jeong Tae-young initially was interested in a second term, and ran as an independent as the Democratic Party had withdrawn from the Alliance in 2014 and joined the Liberal Alliance. Incumbent President Jeong won by a wide majority, however she announced in 2015, she'd be stepping in order to run again for her previously held office in the National Assembly.

### 2015 Special Election for the President of the Alliance for Progress and Democracy

After President Jeong resigned, another election was held by the voting members of the Alliance in June of 2015.

The candidates were:

1. Lee Myeong-buk - A senior party official in the National Party
2. Choi Jae-hyun - A representative in the Seoul Assembly, and member of the Labour Party
3. Do Min-ji - A Justice Party representative in the National Assembly for the province of Pyongyang
4. Kim Na-yeong - A lawyer in Busan and former Chair of the Finance Board of the Democratic Party
5. Goo Bo-ra - A young community organizer from Seoul and Chair of the Youth Wing of the National Party

In the first round he Candidates received the following percentages:

1. Do Min-ji (33.48%)
2. Lee Myeong-byuk (25.79)
3. Choi Jae-hyun (22.31%)
4. Kim Na-yeong (11.55%)
5. Goo Bo-ra (6.87%)

As no one candidate reaching a majority of votes, a second run-off vote was held in early July of 2015. Goo Bo-ra was eliminated from the second ballot for not having passing the 10% minimum threshold.

The results were:

1. Do-Min-ji (42.01%)
2. Lee Myeong-byuk ( 41.36%)
3. Choi Jae-hyun (13.69%)
4. Kim Na-yeong (2.94%)

A third ballot was then held to decide the winner in October of 2015. Kim Na-yeong was eliminated as a result of her not passing the threshold to continue.

## National Policy Committee

The National Policy Committee is responsible for the creation of a coherent ideology or set of ideologies to govern the alliance. The committee consists of 20 members and policy is set every year. The National Policy Committee is the second highest ranking body within the Alliance, only after the President of the Alliance

## Congress of the Left

The Congress of the Left is the national meeting body of the alliance, and is made up of current party leaders and members of the National Assembly, as well as local members from the parties in the alliance and other party officials. The Congress is also the body that elects the National Policy Committee members every year.

### Committees

#### The Charter Committee

The Charter Committee is the committee that renews and modifies the charter of the Alliance. This committee meets on a need-only basis and is responsible for the fundamental structuring of the alliance.

The Charter Committee is also responsible for permitting the entry of new members into the alliance, however no new party has entered the alliance since 2017

#### The Election Cooperation and Mutual Partnership Agreement Committee (ECC)

The Election Cooperation and Mutual Partnership Agreement Committee is a committee in the Congress of the Left that ensures the mutual cooperation and partnership between each of the member parties in local, provincial, and national elections with the express purpose of preventing right-wing governments from being able to take power on any level of government. This is done through multiple treatises, agreements and pacts stating that the parties in the alliance will not align themselves with any right-wing parties in a governing coalition. After every election, the committee meets in order to negotiate each of the alliances and coalitions needed on each level of government to form a left-wing coalition in government.