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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Cheong Wa Dae Weighs Response as Controversy Grows Over Yong Hye-in Holding Two Offices

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The presidential office has reportedly conveyed negative public sentiment to Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in over plans to retain her proportional-representation parliamentary seat.
  • Members of the ruling Democratic Party have urged Yong to give up either the ministerial post or her seat, while another lawmaker defended the appointment as part of efforts to unite with progressive parties.
  • Yong avoided answering whether she would resign from Parliament, saying she would explain her position during the confirmation hearing.

The controversy over Yong Hye-in serving as both minister and proportional-representation lawmaker has spread into the presidential office and the ruling party. The presidential office is reportedly concerned that public criticism, including from within the Democratic Party, could deepen if Yong takes the ministerial post while retaining her parliamentary seat.

A ruling-party source said the presidential office had conveyed negative public sentiment to Yong’s side. The message effectively reflected a view that holding both positions would not meet public expectations. Officials were also said to fear that the controversy could alienate people in their 20s and 30s and women, groups the government had hoped to reach by choosing Yong as its nominee.

Making her a minister while also continuing to serve as a lawmaker looks like greed to anyone and feels unfair.

— Song Young-gilThe Democratic Party lawmaker criticized Yong’s plan to hold both offices in a radio interview.

Another ruling-party source said the nominee could not simply be forced to give up her seat. “We cannot force the nominee to give up her parliamentary seat, so for now there is an atmosphere of watching public opinion and hoping that she will make the decision,” the source said.

Criticism also came from Democratic Party lawmakers. Song Young-gil said on SBS radio that he questioned the appointment’s appeal to people in their 20s and 30s. “Making her a minister while also continuing to serve as a lawmaker looks like greed to anyone and feels unfair,” he said. Lee Yeon-hee told MBC radio that Yong should have rejected the ministerial offer if protecting the Basic Income Party was more important, and should resign her seat if she wanted to serve as minister.

If protecting the Basic Income Party is important, she should have rejected the offer to become minister; if she wants to serve as minister, it is right for her to resign as a lawmaker.

— Lee Yeon-heeThe lawmaker argued that Yong should choose between the party leadership role represented by her seat and the ministerial post.

Others argued that the ruling party should respect President Lee’s intention to work with and unite progressive parties. A lawmaker from the Democratic Party’s integration task force said the appointment of the Basic Income Party’s only lawmaker also reflected a broader-unity effort, and that Yong should be given a clear opportunity to explain herself.

Yong declined to say whether she would resign. Asked on her way to an office preparing for the confirmation hearing whether she would choose between the two positions before the hearing, she said the hearing would provide an opportunity to communicate with the public and that she would organize and explain her thoughts there.

The confirmation hearing is a process of communicating with the public, so I will prepare well and organize and convey my thoughts.

— Yong Hye-inYong avoided giving a direct answer about whether she would resign from Parliament.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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