Korean, Czechslovak, and Baltic elections in an alternate world

In 2001, Korea, like many other countries, transitioned from a Marxist-Loriotist regime to a Western-style democracy after mass protests.

However, the Communist Party of Korea (CPK), reconstituted as the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP), continued to dominate Korean politics, winning the 2003, 2008 and 2013 presidential elections. The post-independence¹ economic boom of Korea continued under their watch, with the country becoming one of the largest economies in the world.

In 2018, an economic crisis and corruption scandals allowed the right-wing People's Power Party to win the presidential election, ushering in the first conservative government in modern Korean history. President Hong Jun-pyo implemented neoliberal economic reforms, but his mishandling of COVID-19 and the devastating economic crisis that followed seriously hurt his and the Right's credibility. As the KSDP had been "PASOkified", this gave the hard left an opening.

Sim Sang-jung ran for the presidency of Korea in a left-wing populist platform, promising to overturn the privatisation of strategic sectors, increase pension and childcare funding, and cooperate with other Asian countries over America. This platform worked, and she was elected, becoming the first female president of Korea.

Footnote

• ¹ = In 1978, Korea became independent as the DPRK after an independence war against Japan. The Kim family never rises to prominence, as the only reason Kim Il-sung became leader was that Beria recommended Stalin install a communist leader in occupied northern Korea.