Basic Income Party Addresses 'Ghost Offices' Controversy: "Registered Members' Homes to Hang More Banners"

Firm Rebuttal Against "Ghost Offices" and Personalization Allegations
"No Branch Failed to Meet Registration Requirements"

The Basic Income Party addressed the so-called "ghost office" criticisms, which alleged that some of its city and provincial chapters received subsidies while being registered to farms or residences, not proper offices. The party explained, "We registered members' homes as offices out of a determination to hang even one more banner."

Noh So-young, the chief spokesperson of the Basic Income Party (center), along with Shin Ji-hye (left) and Kim Jin-seo, senior party members, explained the party's position on controversies related to Yong Hye-in, the candidate for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and the Basic Income Party at the National Assembly Communication Center on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Noh Sayeong and Shin Ji-hye, spokespersons for the Basic Income Party, along with deputy spokesperson Kim Jin-seo, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center on the afternoon of September 9. They refuted, "To disparage the Basic Income Party by claiming fake city and provincial chapters have been created just to receive subsidies is to tarnish the history of our party, which has dedicated itself to organizational strengthening."

Deputy spokesperson Kim stated, "Among our city and provincial chapters, not one was found to have failed registration requirements in this process. Party dues were distributed to these chapters according to the party's constitution and regulations, and each chapter has engaged in routine political activities with limited resources."

He continued, "All of the 150 million won administered to city and provincial chapters this year came entirely from party dues and donations to the party's support committee. Our accounting clearly listed this as a category of 'other than subsidies,' and it is a fabrication to claim that it was given as an ordinary subsidy."

Lee Seungsuk, head of the Basic Income Party's South Chungcheong Provincial Chapter, also issued a statement that day: "I, too, would like to have a proper office and hire staff to run our chapter. However, due to insufficient finances, I registered my personal residence as our address. I cannot accept that all the activities of our South Chungcheong chapter members, most of whom are ordinary working people, are denigrated as being 'ghost' activities based solely on this fact."

Noh Sayeong, the spokesperson and top committee member of the Basic Income Party (second from left), along with top committee members Shin Ji-hye (left) and Kim Jin-seo, explained the party’s position on controversies related to Yong Hyein, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and the Basic Income Party at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News

Spokesperson Noh also addressed another criticism, which accused candidate Yong Hyein, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, of turning the party into her private political vehicle by staffing former aides in key leadership roles. Noh explained, "Assigning officials to roles after they gained experience working in a lawmaker's office, or vice versa, was a means to reinforce the policy capacity of the Basic Income Party both within and outside the National Assembly."

She added, "Members moving between legislative assistant and party staff roles was for the purpose of building broad expertise to create the kind of world the Basic Income Party aspires to. To portray this as if candidate Yong manipulated the process to install close associates in leadership and provide them jobs is nothing but a reckless attempt to smear her and the party."

She also responded to Song Young-gil of the Democratic Party for his comments demeaning the Basic Income Party as a party "surviving by leeching off state subsidies." She asked, "Considering that before our poll numbers rose in the last local elections—causing an increase in state subsidies for this year's third quarter—the quarterly subsidy the Basic Income Party received was around 9 million won, which barely covers a single person's wage, do you truly think it is possible to have continued to field candidates and maintain political activity for over six years since the party's founding relying just on that?"

Finally, she appealed, "It is not unprecedented for a proportional representative lawmaker to concurrently serve as a minister. As we begin this new challenge as a responsible opposition party, we earnestly ask for the public's support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.