Yong Hye-in Steps Down as Minister Nominee at Democratic Party's Request; Cheong Wa Dae Respects Decision

[Anchor]

Yong Hye-in, nominee for the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, has voluntarily stepped down just 14 days after her nomination. The decision appears to have been prompted by a request from the Democratic Party asking her to make a decisive move.

Reporting from Go Jeong-hyeon.

[Reporter]

Lawmaker Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party held a press conference this morning (the 13th) and announced that she would step down from her position as nominee for the Minister of Gender Equality and Family.

This comes 14 days after her nomination on August 30.

Explaining the background behind her resignation, Lawmaker Yong stated, "My stance of clearing up suspicions through the confirmation hearing remains unchanged," but added, "I received an intent from the Democratic Party asking me to make a resolute decision, considering that public consensus is not broad enough regarding holding both my proportional representation lawmaker position and the ministerial post simultaneously."

[Yong Hye-in / Former Minister of Gender Equality and Family Nominee: In a situation where even the ruling party is expressing concerns, I determined that it is realistically difficult to carry out the duties. Furthermore, stopping here is also necessary to continue the spirit of solidarity within the democratic and progressive camp (such as the Democratic Party and the Basic Income Party)....]

Immediately following the resignation press conference, Kim Tae-sun, chief of staff to the Democratic Party leader, stated on social media, "I conveyed Party Leader Kim Min-seok's recommendation for a voluntary resignation, which aggregated public sentiment, to Nominee Yong."

Three days prior during a press conference, Lawmaker Yong had strongly drawn a line against theories of her voluntary resignation, stating that holding both a proportional lawmaker seat and a ministerial position simultaneously is permitted by law in principle.

However, it is analyzed that she ultimately decided to resign as public opinion regarding holding both parliamentary and ministerial posts worsened, and even the ruling party, the Democratic Party, turned its back.

Cheong Wa Dae stated, "We view that Nominee Yong made her own decision to reduce the burden on state affairs and people's livelihoods," adding, "We respect her decision."

It also added, "We will proceed with subsequent procedures according to established regulations," and "We will do our utmost in verification and personnel selection to find figures that meet public expectations."

(Camera: Oh Young-chun, Kim Yong-woo | Video Editing: Yu Mi-ra)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.