Democratic Liberal Party

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Democratic Liberal Party

political party, South Korea

Also known as: DLP, NKP, New Korea Party

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June 25, 2026

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The Democratic Liberal Party was a South Korean political party formed in 1990 through the merger of Kim Young-Sam's Reunification Democratic Party and the ruling Democratic Justice Party. It was a center-right party that dominated Korean politics at the time. In 1997, this party, then known as the New Korea Party, merged with the Democratic Party to form the Grand National Party (GNP), which later became the Saenuri Party and then the Liberty Korea Party. The Democratic Party of Korea, a separate centrist-liberal party, has a history dating back to 1995 and has undergone several name changes and mergers.123

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Kim Young-Sam
…a center-right party, called the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), that dominated Korean politics. As the candidate of the DLP, Kim won election to the presidency in December 1992, defeating Kim Dae-Jung and another opposition candidate, Chung Joo-Youn, chairman of the Hyundai chaebol (conglomerate).
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…a center-right party, called the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), that dominated Korean politics. As the candidate of the DLP, Kim won election to the presidency in December 1992, defeating Kim Dae-Jung and another opposition candidate, Chung Joo-Youn, chairman of the Hyundai chaebol (conglomerate).
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Lee Myung-Bak
…a member of the conservative New Korea Party. He was reelected in 1996, only to resign two years later after he was found guilty of violating campaign spending limits. He withdrew from politics and spent a year of self-imposed exile in the United States.
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…a member of the conservative New Korea Party. He was reelected in 1996, only to resign two years later after he was found guilty of violating campaign spending limits. He withdrew from politics and spent a year of self-imposed exile in the United States.
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Liberty Korea Party
…(NKP; formerly known as the Democratic Liberal Party) and the Democratic Party (DP). At the time of the merger, the NKP was recovering from a series of financial scandals and member defections, and the DP was on the verge of collapse after the 1996 National Assembly elections, when it failed…
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…(NKP; formerly known as the Democratic Liberal Party) and the Democratic Party (DP). At the time of the merger, the NKP was recovering from a series of financial scandals and member defections, and the DP was on the verge of collapse after the 1996 National Assembly elections, when it failed…
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South Korea
The Sixth Republic
The resultant Democratic Liberal Party (DLP) commanded an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.
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The resultant Democratic Liberal Party (DLP) commanded an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.
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