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Future Political Implications for the Conservatives in South Korea

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Future Political Implications for the Conservatives in South Korea View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis and Dissertation Collection 2016-12 One-party dominance: future political implications for the conservatives in South Korea Yu, David J. Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/51642 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE: FUTURE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CONSERVATIVES IN SOUTH KOREA by David J. Yu December 2016 Thesis Advisor: Robert Weiner Second Reader: Jessica Piombo Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704–0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED (Leave blank) December 2016 Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE: FUTURE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CONSERVATIVES IN SOUTH KOREA 6. AUTHOR(S) David J. Yu 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING Naval Postgraduate School ORGANIZATION REPORT Monterey, CA 93943-5000 NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. SPONSORING / ADDRESS(ES) MONITORING AGENCY N/A REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. IRB number ____N/A____. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. 13. ABSTRACT This thesis poses three questions: What is one-party dominance? What factors have been identified as encouraging the development of dominant parties in genuinely democratic systems? Do these characteristics apply to the conservative party in South Korea? This thesis focuses on pork barrel politics, fragmentation of opposition parties, and partisan control of the media as possible factors encouraging one- party dominance. To what extent are these structural advantages that the conservatives might hold in government and society, and could these lead to dominance by the conservative party? The thesis finds that the conservatives and progressives both take part in pork barrel politics and both influence the media; the progressive party is more fragmented than the conservatives and this gives the conservatives an advantage, but only a weak one. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF one-party dominance, Korean politics, Korean government PAGES 93 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540–01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2–89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239–18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE: FUTURE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CONSERVATIVES IN SOUTH KOREA David J. Yu Captain, United States Air Force B.A., University of Hawaii—Manoa, 2007 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (FAR EAST, SOUTHEAST ASIA, THE PACIFIC) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL December 2016 Approved by: Robert Weiner Thesis Advisor Jessica Piombo Second Reader Mohammed Hafez Chair, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT This thesis poses three questions: What is one-party dominance? What factors have been identified as encouraging the development of dominant parties in genuinely democratic systems? Do these characteristics apply to the conservative party in South Korea? This thesis focuses on pork barrel politics, fragmentation of opposition parties, and partisan control of the media as possible factors encouraging one-party dominance. To what extent are these structural advantages that the conservatives might hold in government and society, and could these lead to dominance by the conservative party? The thesis finds that the conservatives and progressives both take part in pork barrel politics and both influence the media; the progressive party is more fragmented than the conservatives and this gives the conservatives an advantage, but only a weak one. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................1 A. MAJOR RESEARCH QUESTION..........................................................1 B. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION ...........................1 C. LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................3 D. STATE OF AND POTENTIAL FOR ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE IN SOUTH KOREA ........................................................9 1. Dominance in Number, Bargaining Position, Chronology? ...................................................................................9 2. Dominance Governmentally? .....................................................11 3. Potential Factors Encouraging One-Party Dominance in South Korea ..................................................................................13 E. THESIS OVERVIEW .............................................................................16 II. DEFINING ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE—THEORY FOR SOUTH KOREA .................................................................................................................19 A. DOMINANCE IN NUMBER ..................................................................20 B. DOMINANT BARGAINING POSITION .............................................21 1. Party Holding the Presidency .....................................................22 2. Dominance by a Non-presidential Party ....................................23 3. Summary of Bargaining Power Requirements .........................24 C. DOMINANCE CHRONOLOGICALLY ..............................................24 D. DOMINANCE GOVERNMENTALLY ................................................26 E. EXAMINING DOMINANCE IN SOUTH KOREA FROM 1988–2015..................................................................................................26 1. The Importance of the Presidency in South Korea...................26 2. Technical Analysis of Dominance in South Korea ....................32 III. EXAMINING CAUSES OF ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE .............................37 A. POSSIBILITY OF ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE IN SOUTH KOREA .....................................................................................................37 B. PORK BARREL POLITICS ..................................................................41 1. Japan .............................................................................................41 2. South Korea ..................................................................................41 C. FRAGMENTATION OF OPPOSITION ..............................................49 1. Japan .............................................................................................49 2. South Korea ..................................................................................50 D. CONTROL OF THE MEDIA.................................................................55 1. Japan .............................................................................................55 vii 2. South Korea ..................................................................................57 IV. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................67 A. PEMPELS’ THREE DIMENSIONS OF ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE—SOUTH KOREA ........................................................67 B. CAUSES OF ONE-PARTY DOMINANCE—SOUTH KOREA ........68 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................71 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST ...................................................................................79 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Party Controls the Presidency ....................................................................22 Table 2. Opposition Controls the Presidency...........................................................22 Table 3. Summary of Chronological Dominance Defined by Scholars ...................25 Table 4. Numerical, Bargaining and Chronological Dominance of Parties in South Korea—Presidency ..........................................................................33 Table 5. Numerical, Bargaining and Chronological Dominance of Parties in South Korea—National Assembly .............................................................33 Table 6. Types of Dominance held by Political Parties in South Korea ..................34 Table 7. Party System
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