The minor opposition Unified Progressive Party was disbanded Friday in a first-ever decision by the Constitutional Court that a political party is unconstitutional.
With the ruling taking immediate effect, the party no longer exists as a political entity, and UPP Reps. Kim Mi-hyui, Kim Jae-yeon, Lee Sang-kyu, Lee Seok-ki and Oh Byung-yun lost their status as members of the parliament. Three of the seats will be filled in the by-elections in April, while the two proportional representatives’ seats will be left vacant.
All assets including government subsidies and funds raised by supporters will be given over to the government. The party had received about 6.1 billion won ($5.5 million) in government subsidies since the petition for its disbandment was filed, and the party’s current assets stand at about 1.36 billion won.
The ruling comes more than a year after a petition from the Ministry of Justice. On Nov. 5, 2013, the Justice Ministry filed a constitutional petition calling for the UPP to be disbanded, claiming that the party was pro-North Korea. Citing the UPP’s constitution, which closely resembles North Korean ideology, the Justice Ministry argued that the party should be disbanded.
Although the Constitutional Court concluded the UPP’s constitution could not be definitively linked to North Korea, the court judged that the party aimed to overthrow South Korea’s government.
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