[Anchor]

Lawmaker Yong Hye-in has become the first ministerial nominee under the current administration to step down even before undergoing a confirmation hearing. Cheong Wa Dae, which maintained just two days ago that it would "watch until the hearing," emphasized that the outcome was "the candidate's own decision."

Reporting follows by Kang Cheongwan.

[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 released an official statement expressing respect for 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 stated, adding, "We will do our utmost in verification and personnel selection to ensure appointments meet public expectations."

As recently as two days ago, Cheong Wa Dae's stance was to wait and see through the confirmation hearing.

[Kang Yu-jung / Senior Spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae (on the 11th): Our stance has not changed that it is right to provide an opportunity to explain various suspicions.]

Withdrawing the nomination just two weeks after the presidential appointment would have meant factoring in the resulting political burden, but as the situation concluded with voluntary resignation today (the 13th), Cheong Wa Dae emphasized that it was "the candidate's decision."

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

Some interpret that while the Democratic Party's demand for Lawmaker Yong's resolute decision reflected Cheong Wa Dae's intent as well, it was shaped to look like a "demand solely from the Democratic Party."

Since the launch of the current administration, Lawmaker Yong is the first ministerial nominee to drop out before receiving a parliamentary confirmation hearing.

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Kang Sun-woo for Gender Equality and Family, and Lee Hye-hoon for Planning and Budget—withdrew or had their nominations rescinded after going through confirmation hearings.

The People Power Party demanded an apology from the president, calling it a failure of personnel verification, and accountability was raised within the ruling party as well.

Democratic Party Lawmaker Park Ji-won said, "Why try to stop with a hoe what you have to block with a bulldozer?" adding, "If all criticism is directed at the president, this is the responsibility of the personnel vetting line."

A Cheong Wa Dae official explained that today's statement about doing its utmost in personnel verification and selection also implies a commitment to preventing public concern moving forward.

(Video reporting: Jung Sang-bo, Video editing: Nam Il, Design: Jang Seong-beom)