[1] It advocates for the promotion of social equality and welfare, economic justice, the protection of human rights and minority groups, peace and the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, as well as environmental sustainability.
Domestically, progressives promote economic justice and labor rights in response to the dominance of chaebols in Korean economy, stemming from dirigisme during military dictatorships.
Internationally, they take a conciliatory stance toward North Korea and have developed anti-American sentiments through college, viewing the United States as a supporter of the authoritarian regimes during pro-democracy struggles.
[7] They worked an average of 15 hours a day, often cramped in spaces just 3 feet high, forcing them to remain seated or bent over for long periods of time.
[11] This disillusionment led the South Korean intellectuals to reject pro-US developmentalist neoliberalism, making room for various strands of Marxism to gain popularity.
In contrast, the NL faction adopted a left-wing nationalistic approach and viewed the Korean people – both the North and the South – to be the principal revolutionary agent.
[15][16][17][14] After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the New Left movement in Europe and the United States and postmodernist discourse became known, creating a Sinjwapa (신좌파; 新左派; lit.