The United Future Party is one of the main parties and the leading opposition and conservative party of South Korea. The United Future Party announced a new name on Sept 2, rebranding itself as the “People Power Party.” A total of 16,940 suggestions came in via an open competition, and it was one of three names shortlisted. According to the party’s statement, this new name conveys three meanings: the power from the people, the power to exercise for the people, and the power to bring people together. In addition, it is the seventh time that the People Power Party has changed its name since 1987. The longest-running party name was the Grand National Party, which was maintained for about 15 years from 1997 to 2012. In general, changing the name of a political party is extremely common in South Korea.

Changing the name of a political party can also be considered a unique cultural trait of Korean political parties. Political parties that boast of long lineages, such as the Communist Party in China or the Workers' Party in North Korea, have not changed their names for a long time as the name serves as a basis for the party's history and identity. The U.S. has also used the names "Republican" and "Democratic Party" for more than 100 years, and Japan has used the name "Liberal Democratic Party" for more than 50 years. In addition, Britain's Conservative Party and Labour Party and Germany's Social Democratic Party have maintained their names for more than 100 years. Such examples imply that the frequent change of party name that is pervasive in Korean politics is a distinctive political culture of S.Korea.

Why do Korean political parties change their names so frequently? Party names play a significant role in representing the general ideals and political orientation of each party. Therefore, when a party is the face of an impactful change in the composition of party members or fundamental ideology, its name is changed for the purpose of rebranding. Such a trend has been well reflected in the history of Korean politics. In preparation for the 2012 presidential election, the Democratic Party was created after the Democratic United Party tactfully merged political forces, such as the Federation of Korean Workers, which was in favor of the former president Roh Moo-hyun. In 2014, two years after the election, the party attempted to re-establish itself along with the amalgamation with the New Politics Alliance for Democracy. In the same vein, such a trend arose again when it was devised by the PPP led by Kim Jong-in. Kim Jong-in is a member of the emergency measure committee who is known for his efforts to renew its pre-existing policies. It is deemed to be the party’s attempt to regain public trust and the party's power after losing to the ruling party by a large margin in the last general election.

This leads to the question of whether changing the name has been actually effective. The case of the New Korea Party and New Politics Alliance for Democracy should provide a good answer. The Democratic Liberal Party changed its name to the New Korea Party after a crushing defeat in the 1995 local elections and recruited politicians with transcending ideals, such as Lee Hoi-chang, Lee Jae-oh, and Hong Joon-pyo. As a result, the party finally succeeded in winning the 1996 general election with a 42 percent turnover rate. With the momentum of victory, the New Korea Party merged with the Democratic Party in the 1997 IMF presidential election and changed its name to the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, but eventually grew weaker and was taken over by other parties.

What can possibly explain the aforementioned phenomenon that has lasted since the onset of the democratic foundation in S.Korea? The most prevalent theory asserts that ideological politics is not entirely entrenched within the political stage of S.Korea. This is because Korea has a relatively short history of politics to establish a stable right-left political spectrum. Starting from the April Revolution in 1960 to the June Struggle for Democracy in 1987, S.Korea struggled to establish a direct presidential election system that is a step forward to materialize the democratic government. As a result, political parties showed a propensity to focus on visible rather than intangible values and ideologies. As such, there is criticism that parties change their names frequently to reform their images, rather than the fundamental system. Yet, there is also a positive opinion in that the party's wish to better itself is worthy of many accolades. Under the premise that internal factors such as political party values and ideals are amended more than external factors, changing party names can surely be a constructive move.

Therefore, changing the party name is a special political culture in Korea. The party tends to change its name mainly when its ideological or political orientation changes. However, the efforts to change the name of the party have not had any tangible effect and have been criticized by the public. The party is free to change its name, but a formal revision of its name will only add to voter confusion and distrust of the party. In addition, changing the name of the party means abandoning existing images and incorporating new ideas. In other words, it is breaking off the existing image that is recognized by the public with respect to political parties and building a new image. However, if they try to change public perception in a short period of time through a party name change, it will be impossible to change internal elements such as ideology and political activities. Therefore, to portray a new image to the public, it is necessary not to simply change the party name, but to present an improved ideology and policy platform.