Korea Independence Party facts for kids

The Korea Independence Party (KIP; Hangul: 한국독립당) was a political group in South Korea. It played an important role in Korea's fight for freedom and its early years as a new country.

History of the Korea Independence Party

Starting the Party in Shanghai

The Korea Independence Party (KIP) was started in 1928 by Kim Koo in Shanghai, a big city in China. Kim Koo was a very important leader who wanted Korea to be free. The party brought together a group of people from the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. This was like a temporary Korean government working from outside the country to gain independence from Japan.

Returning to Korea

After Korea became free from Japanese rule in 1945, Kim Koo and the KIP could finally return to Korea and start working there. At first, Kim Koo supported Syngman Rhee, who would later become South Korea's first president.

However, they disagreed about how to set up the new government. Kim Koo did not want separate elections only in South Korea. He believed all of Korea should vote together. Because of this disagreement, the KIP did not take part in the 1948 elections for the new government.

Kim Koo's Presidential Bid

Even though the party didn't join the parliamentary elections, Kim Koo ran for president in July 1948. This was an indirect election, meaning elected officials voted, not the public. He lost to Syngman Rhee.

Decline of the Party

When Kim Koo was sadly assassinated in 1949, the party became much weaker. In the 1950 elections, the KIP only got a very small number of votes (0.3%). This meant they did not win any seats in the government.

The party tried again in the 1960 elections, but got the same low number of votes and no seats. In 1967, they nominated Chŏn Chin-han [ko] for president. He finished fifth out of six candidates. Later that year, in the parliamentary elections, the KIP got a slightly higher vote share (2.2%) but still did not win any seats. The party eventually ended in 1970.

Election Results

House of Representatives Elections

The Korea Independence Party tried to win seats in the House of Representatives, which is like a parliament or congress. Here's how they did:

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats				Position	Status
				Constituency	Party list	Total	+/–
1950		17,745	0.25			0 / 210	new	10th	Extra-parliamentary
1960		26,649	0.29			0 / 233		5th	Extra-parliamentary
1963		128,162	1.38	0 / 131	0 / 44	0 / 175		12th	Extra-parliamentary
1967		240,936	2.22	0 / 131	0 / 44	0 / 175		6th	Extra-parliamentary

See also

In Spanish: Partido de la Independencia de Corea para niños