Yong Hye-in again stays silent on her way to work as questions mount

Yong Hye-in began another day of silence on Tuesday, declining to respond as reporters pressed her over allegations surrounding her nomination as minister of gender equality and family.

At 8:22 a.m., Yong arrived at the office prepared for her parliamentary confirmation hearing at the Korea Youth Work Agency in Seoul’s Seodaemun district. Reporters asked whether her position on holding multiple offices had changed and whether she agreed with the Basic Income Party’s statement issued the previous day. She did not answer.

Yong, who was nominated on Aug. 30, has offered no detailed explanation since her first day at the office on Sept. 2. The allegations include claims that she tolerated gender-discriminatory guidelines within a behind-the-scenes organization operating through the Labor Party and Young Left, as well as controversy over her holding a proportional-representation parliamentary seat while taking on the ministerial nomination. She also faces criticism over what opponents call a self-appointment involving her spouse, Park Ki-hong, who was named to a senior party position.

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A new attempt to show, through the process of realizing coalition politics, how the Basic Income Party can join forces so the gender equality and family ministry of the Lee Jae-myung government can achieve results.

The Basic Income Party rejected calls for Yong to step down. Senior party official Shin Ji-hye described the dual-office controversy as “a new attempt to show, through the process of realizing coalition politics, how the Basic Income Party can join forces so the gender equality and family ministry of the Lee Jae-myung government can achieve results.” Party leader Oh Jun-ho separately said claims linking the party to a so-called “behind-the-scenes organization” were “not true at all.”

The presidential office said the confirmation hearing should go ahead. It described the hearing as a public process for vetting nominees and said Yong had been nominated through the personnel system, indicating that the administration would not withdraw her nomination.

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The claims linking the Basic Income Party to a so-called behind-the-scenes organization are not true at all.