Yong Hye-in reported to police over alleged private use of state subsidies

Yong Hye-in, South Korea’s nominee for minister of gender equality and family, has been reported to police over allegations that state subsidies were used for a civic group’s office expenses.

Lee Jong-bae, a former Seoul city council member, said on the 4th that he filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency through the national petition system. He accused Yong and Basic Income Party officials of violating the Political Funds Act and committing occupational embezzlement and breach of trust.

The complaint asks police to investigate whether the Basic Income Policy Research Institute, affiliated with the Basic Income Party, used government subsidies for the office rent, moving costs and management fees of Alba Alliance, a separate civic organization. Lee also called for an investigation into allegations that the institute assigned much of its policy research work to party insiders as legislative support payments.

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If government subsidies allocated to the institute for policy development were used simply for the moving costs, rent and management fees of a separate civic organization, this could constitute a violation of the Political Funds Act through use outside the subsidies’ intended purpose.

The allegations concern monthly rent and management fees of 350,000 won that the institute allegedly paid from central party subsidies between August 2022 and July 2023 for an office used by Alba Alliance. Yong served as the institute’s chairwoman at the time.

The Basic Income Party said the institute and Alba Alliance shared an office in Seoul’s Yeouido area from 2022 to 2023. It said the institute did not support Alba Alliance’s operating costs, but paid a legitimate amount for the workspace it actually used.

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It was not support for Alba Alliance’s operating costs. It was a legitimate payment for the workspace the institute actually used.