Yong Hye-in Steps Down Before Confirmation Hearing; Cheong Wa Dae Says "Candidate Made Own Choice"

[Anchor]

Lawmaker Yong Hye-in has become the first ministerial nominee under the current administration to step down without even making it to a confirmation hearing. Cheong Wa Dae stated that it will make every effort in personnel verification and selection moving forward.

Reporter Kang Cheongwan has the details.

[Reporter]

Immediately after Basic Income Party Lawmaker Yong Hye-in announced her resignation as the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Cheong Wa Dae issued an official statement respecting her decision.

"We understand that the candidate made her own decision to reduce the burden on state affairs and people's livelihoods," Cheong Wa Dae said, adding, "We will make every effort in verification and selection to ensure appointments align with the public's expectations."

As of last Friday, two days before the announcement of her resignation, Cheong Wa Dae's stance was that it would wait and see through the confirmation hearing.

[Kang Yu-jung / Senior Spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae (on the 11th): Our stance remains unchanged that it is right to provide an opportunity to explain various suspicions.]

This is interpreted as an effort to emphasize that it was "the candidate's decision," taking into consideration the political burden of withdrawing a ministerial nominee just two weeks after the nomination by the President.

A Cheong Wa Dae official stated that no opinions regarding resignation were directly conveyed to Lawmaker Yong's side.

Lawmaker Yong is the first ministerial nominee to step down before undergoing a parliamentary confirmation hearing since the launch of the current administration.

Three other ministerial nominees—Lee Jin-sook for Education, Kang Sun-woo for Gender Equality and Family, and Lee Hye-hoon for Planning and Budget—either resigned or saw their nominations withdrawn, but all went through confirmation hearings.

The People Power Party demanded an apology from the President, calling it a failure of personnel verification, and criticism regarding accountability was also raised within the ruling party.

Democratic Party Lawmaker Park Ji-won said, "Why try to stop with a bulldozer what could have been stopped with a hoe?" adding, "If all criticism is directed at the President, this is the responsibility of the personnel management line."

A Cheong Wa Dae official explained that Cheong Wa Dae's stance to make every effort in personnel verification and selection also carries the meaning of ensuring that no further concerns are caused to the public in the future.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Jeong Sang-bo | Video by Nam Il | Graphics by Jang Seong-beom
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.