Three Years Ago, Yong Hye-in Asked a Nominee 'Are You Running Away?' Now the Tables Have Turned

[Anchor]

Yong Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is repeatedly saying that she will address various suspicions surrounding her only during her confirmation hearing. However, her attitude was entirely the opposite when she was a parliamentary confirmation committee member three years ago. At that time, when a ministerial nominee deferred explanations by saying they would "answer at the hearing," she heavily criticized them for running away.

Reporter Park Chan-beom has the story.

[Reporter]

Nominee Yong Hye-in made her first commute to the confirmation preparation office on the 2nd.

Though she took questions from reporters for about 10 minutes, starting the next day she has completely stopped answering questions about whether she will resign from her lawmaker seat, repeatedly giving only brief responses that she will clarify various suspicions at the National Assembly confirmation hearing.

[Yong Hye-in / Nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family (yesterday): (Does your stance remain unchanged regarding holding both lawmaker and ministerial positions?) ......]

Three years ago, when she was a freshman lawmaker, Nominee Yong served as a member of the National Assembly's confirmation committee for then-Ministry of Gender Equality and Family nominee Kim Haeng.

At the time, when then-nominee Kim halted her morning commute Q&A sessions just five days in amid a barrage of suspicions, Nominee Yong criticized her as follows:

[Yong Hye-in / Then Confirmation Committee Member for Gender Equality and Family Minister Nominee (September 2023): Nominee Kim Haeng has even halted her morning commute Q&A sessions, saying she will 'explain everything at the confirmation hearing.' This can only be interpreted as running away because she cannot clear herself.]

Regarding suspicions that there were sexist guidelines, such as bans on abortion or requirements for premarital chastity, within the so-called "underground organization" of the Labor Party she was formerly affiliated with, Nominee Yong stated the following:

[Yong Hye-in / Nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family (yesterday): (Why did you condone the sexist guidelines of the 'underground organization'?) I will speak about it at the hearing.]

However, when she was a confirmation committee member in the past, she used past remarks by then-nominee Kim regarding sexual self-determination rights to launch strong criticisms like this:

[Yong Hye-in / Then Confirmation Committee Member for Gender Equality and Family Minister Nominee (September 2023): (Nominee Kim Haeng) showed a pathetic perception of women's rights to sexual self-determination by saying, 'Tolerance is needed to accept even an unwanted pregnancy.']

Rival parties are currently coordinating to hold Nominee Yong's confirmation hearing on the 18th.

[Yong Hye-in / Nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family (yesterday): (Aren't you acting like the privileged establishment if you refuse to answer?) ......]

(Video, Photo: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing: Jang Hyun-ki)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.