Yong Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, reiterated her stance on the ongoing calls from both ruling and opposition parties for her to resign from her proportional representation seat, stating, "I will explain in detail during the confirmation hearing."
On her way to the confirmation hearing preparation office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the morning of September 3, Yong made these remarks to reporters.
She did not respond to questions regarding whether her decision to retain her parliamentary seat would burden the Lee Jae-myung administration or if it was motivated by the party's public funding.
On the previous day, when she first arrived at the confirmation hearing preparation office, she acknowledged the public's concerns and worries, expressing her intention to prepare thoroughly for the hearing to clarify her position.
According to current National Assembly law, it is permissible for a government minister to also serve as a member of the National Assembly. However, it has been a political convention that a proportional representation member resigns from their seat upon being appointed as a minister, allowing the next candidate on the list to take over.
Despite this convention, Yong has maintained her position of keeping her proportional representation seat after her ministerial appointment, leading to criticism from various political circles.
Concerns about fairness have also emerged from within the ruling party. Kim Min-seok, the leader of the Democratic Party, stated during an appearance on "Democratic Party TV" that it is necessary to respect and consider the various voices and judgments of the public.
The civic group Economic Justice Action also issued a statement the previous day, criticizing the dual role as a "breach of the minimum political ethics owed to voters."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.