The Progressive Party is left-wing. It is usually classified by Korean media outlets as "
far-left" () or "radical left". However, the party does not officially advocate generally accepted far-left positions such as
anti-capitalism,
communism, or
anarchism. The Progressive Party supports the restoration of South Korea's sovereignty and full "independence" in the international community. The term "independence" here means opposition to Japanese imperialism, support for
reunification with North Korea, a
protectionist trade policy, and establishment of equitable diplomatic relations with world powers such as the United States. The Progressive Party is in favour of
direct democracy, to be used as a mean for the
minjung to actively participate in politics. The most important reason for the Progressive Party's classification as far-left in South Korean politics is opposition to
American imperialism. The Progressive Party believes that South Korea's socioeconomic contradictions are primarily due to the
United States, rather than
China or
Japan, and hence opposes American domination of the Korean economy. This is a significant departure from liberal parties such as the
DPK and
JP, who are hostile to China and Japan but somewhat favourable to the United States in order to offset Chinese and Japanese hegemony. The Progressive Party, in particular, advocates dissolving the
alliance between the United States and South Korea.
Economic policy The party supports the redistribution of wealth and
economically progressive positions such as imposing a 90% tax rate on inheritances of more than 3 billion
won (roughly
US$2,500,000). The Progressive Party opposes restricting the labour of senior citizens over the age of 60. Their justification is that, because South Korea is not a
European welfare state, there is a livelihood problem for the elderly.
Foreign policy The Progressive Party is an
anti-imperialist party. Following a policy of left-wing nationalism, the party seeks to liquidate the remnants of colonialism from the Japanese
imperialist era and end the inequality in
South Korea–United States relations. In 2019, The Progressive Party issued a joint statement opposing Japanese imperialism with the
Korean Social Democratic Party (a North Korean party). The Progressive Party opposes supplying lethal aid to
Ukraine in the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Progressive Party accused the Yoon Suk-yeol government of engaging in diplomacy to antagonize
Russia.
North Korea The Progressive Party takes a
minjokjuui () view on the topic of North Korea, rather than the
kukkajuui () they allege is advocated by conservatives in South Korea. The Progressive Party argues that
kukkajuui accepts
American imperialism and the division of Korea into north and south, whereas
minjokjuui embraces all Koreans and is opposed to foreign imperialism. Therefore, they oppose sanctions on North Korea and argue that only removing sanctions will bring peace to the Korean peninsula. They support the
Sunshine Policy, a policy of reconciliation towards North Korea.
International exchange with American left-wing figures The Progressive Party has frequently engaged in dialogue with the
American left. When the party was founded, American left-wing intellectuals such as
Ramsey Clark and
Noam Chomsky expressed their sympathy for the cause, especially with respect to attitudes regarding
Korean reunification, and policy towards North Korea. The Progressive Party also contacted certain American politicians such as
Jesse Jackson and
Bernie Sanders in 2018 to draw support for the declaration of the end of the Korean War. The Progressive Party has liaison support with the
Green Party of the United States in policies concerning inter-Korean relations, for example the symbolic goal of a formal end to the
Korean War.
Social policy The Progressive Party supports ending
conscription in South Korea and establishing a
volunteer military. The party also supports
women's rights,
LGBT rights,
youth politics and
labor-oriented politics. In contrast to the
antifeminist political trend in South Korean politics, the Progressive Party actively supports the
feminist movement in South Korea. Kim Jae-yeon said the reason for running for the 2022 Korean presidential election was "to become a feminist president".
Rights of immigrants and multiculturalism The Progressive Party is a Korean nationalist party, but they believe that Korean ethnic nationalism is not racism, and they support multiculturalism and the rights of
immigrants to South Korea. The Progressive Party, along with
human rights groups, accused the
Moon Jae-in government's
COVID-19 quarantine policy in March 2021 of being discriminatory against
foreign workers. == Criticism ==