Yong Hae-in keeps silent again, saying she will explain everything at hearing

Yong Hae-in, nominee for minister of gender equality and family, again declined to answer questions about several controversies as she arrived at her confirmation hearing preparation office in Seoul on the morning of Sept. 9.

Reporters asked whether her position had changed on holding her proportional-representation parliamentary seat, whether she would continue to remain silent, and whether she had tolerated gender discrimination in an underground organization. They also asked about allegations that some Basic Income Party regional offices had been falsely registered. Yong looked down and did not respond.

When asked how preparations for the hearing were going, she gave a brief answer: “I will explain everything in detail at the confirmation hearing,” before entering an elevator.

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I will explain everything in detail at the confirmation hearing.

Yong has maintained that position for a week, since her first day at the office after being nominated on Aug. 30. The allegations also include tolerating discriminatory guidelines in an informal organization that allegedly operated behind the scenes of the Labor Party and the Youth Left, and appointing her husband, Park Ki-hong, to a senior party post in what critics describe as a self-appointment.

The deadline for the confirmation process is Sept. 22, but the National Assembly has not yet finalized a hearing schedule. The presidential office said the hearing itself constitutes a public verification process and that a nominee selected through the personnel system should undergo it.

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The confirmation hearing system itself is understood as a public verification process.