Party Politics in the Era of Polarization in South Korea

This panel will examine the various challenges currently facing party politics in South Korea. It is widely acknowledged that the party politics in South Korea is dysfunctional as a result of a number of factors, including a boss-centered party structure, pervasive factionalism, distorted legislative-executive relations, and regionalism. The issues have been exacerbated by the intensification of ideological polarization, which has superimposed existing social cleavages and disrupted the functioning of political parties in terms of representation and interest aggregation. By examining these matters from a range of perspectives, this panel will provide a forum for identifying the principal challenges to the evolution of party politics in Korea.