Yong Hye-in Met with Husband Alone... Husband Appointed as Secretary-General

Yong Hye-in, a ministerial nominee for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, reportedly appointed her husband, Park Ki-hong, as the secretary-general of the Basic Income Party during a party meeting held three days after the party's founding.

Meeting records indicate that only she and her husband attended the relevant meeting.

According to the office of People Power Party lawmaker Cho Ji-yeon, nominee Yong founded the Basic Income Party on January 19, 2020, and appointed her husband Park as the party's secretary-general in her capacity as standing representative during the 1st Standing Steering Committee meeting held three days later.

According to the meeting results posted on the Basic Income Party's website, the only attendees listed for that meeting were nominee Yong and, as an observer, her husband Park.

The Basic Income Party records lists of attendees and observers in its meeting result notices, making instances involving only two people unusual.

In response, the Basic Income Party explained that immediately after its founding, nominee Yong was the only person qualified to be a standing committee member, stating that it was an "inevitable method for an out-of-parliament minor party," that there were no procedural issues regarding party rules and regulations, and that "Park's observation on the day of his appointment as secretary-general was customary, just like in other political parties."

The ratification of her husband Park's appointment took place at a second meeting on February 1 of that year, attended by nominee Yong and her husband, seven regional committee chairpersons, and observers.

Later, when nominee Yong resigned from her post as standing representative in March 2020 to run as a proportional representative candidate for the proportional satellite party "Democratic Together Party," her husband Park even served as acting standing representative.

Park has held various key party positions, including head of the Basic Income Party's strategic planning office and planning and coordination office, and currently serves as the deputy secretary-general for strategic planning.

Regarding the personnel appointments of her husband Park, the preparation team for the Ministry of Gender Equality personnel hearings stated, "He was appointed through internal recommendations and deliberation processes immediately after founding as an out-of-parliament minor party."

However, opposition parties including the People Power Party have pushed back, criticizing that it is "not the 'Basic Income Party' but a 'family income party'."

Regarding the controversy surrounding the appointment of her husband to key party positions, the People Power Party demanded the withdrawal of nominee Yong's nomination, claiming that "public party operations have been tainted by private interests."

Reported by Lee Ho-geon | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.