The Normative Justification of the Two-Party System and the Responsible Party Model: Focused on Sang-Hyeop Kim’s Theory of Two-Party Politics

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Sang-Hyeop Kim's 1956 theory of two-party politics provided the first normative justification for South Korea's two-party system, serving as a foundational historical reference for understanding the enduring gap between the ideals and realities of the responsible party model in Korean politics. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Gye-Won Jo

doi:10.21051/ps.2026.08.34.2.83

August 31, 2026Peace Studies

The Normative Justification of the Two-Party System and the Responsible Party Model: Focused on Sang-Hyeop Kim’s Theory of Two-Party Politics

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Key Points

Analyze Sang-Hyeop Kim's 1956 theory of two-party politics to examine the normative foundation and limitations of the responsible party model during South Korea's early democratic development.
Conducted a historical and conceptual analysis of political scientist Sang-Hyeop Kim’s seminal 1956 treatise published in the journal Sasanggye.
Traced the intellectual diffusion of the British Westminster model of responsible party government as adopted through Japan and the United States into mid-twentieth-century South Korea.
Kim framed two-party politics around three normative ideals—moderation, efficiency, and accountability—as an institutional defense against single-party authoritarian rule under Syngman Rhee's Liberal Party.
The theoretical framework marks the first historical documentation in South Korea illustrating the fundamental divergence between normative party ideals and political reality, establishing an ongoing reference point for modern party system debates.

Implication

Historical analysis reveals the foundations of Korea's early two-party theory through Sang-Hyeop Kim's writings, highlighting enduring tensions between normative democratic ideals and reality.

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Gye-Won Jo (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9935a0636c6408cfa7e04b https://doi.org/10.21051/ps.2026.08.34.2.83

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The Normative Justification of the Two-Party System and the Responsible Party Model: Focused on Sang-Hyeop Kim’s Theory of Two-Party Politics

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

The Normative Justification of the Two-Party System and the Responsible Party Model: Focused on Sang-Hyeop Kim’s Theory of Two-Party Politics

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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