[Anchor]

Yong Hye-in, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, continues to repeat that she will address various allegations surrounding her only during the confirmation hearing. However, her attitude was entirely different when she served as a parliamentary confirmation committee member three years ago. At that time, when a ministerial nominee delayed explanations by saying she would "answer at the confirmation hearing," Yong harshly condemned it as running away.

Reporter Park Chan-beom has the story.

[Reporter]

Yong Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, made her first commute to the confirmation preparation office on the 2nd.

While she took questions from reporters for about 10 minutes, from the next day onward she has refused to answer questions regarding whether she will resign from her lawmaker seat, repeatedly giving only brief answers that she will clarify various suspicions at the National Assembly's confirmation hearing.

[Yong Hye-in / Nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family (Yesterday): (Has your position on holding your lawmaker seat concurrently unchanged?) ......]

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

At that time, when nominee Kim suspended her doorstep Q&A sessions after five days amid a flood of allegations, Yong criticized her as follows:

[Yong Hye-in / Then Confirmation Committee Member for Gender Minister Nominee (September 2023): Nominee Kim has even halted doorstep Q&A sessions, stating she will 'explain everything at the confirmation hearing.' There is no other way to interpret this than running away because she cannot clear herself.]

Regarding allegations that a so-called underground organization within the Labor Party, to which Yong previously belonged, had sexist guidelines such as banning abortion or demanding premarital chastity, 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 confirmation hearing.]

However, when she was a past confirmation committee member, she strongly criticized then-nominee Kim using past remarks regarding sexual self-determination rights:

[Yong Hye-in / Then Confirmation Committee Member for Gender Minister Nominee (September 2023): (Nominee Kim) showed a pathetic understanding of women's rights to sexual self-determination, stating that '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): (Doesn't refusing to answer look just like clinging to vested privileges?) ......]

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Jang Hyun-ki)