President Lee's Past Remark, "It Would Be Ideal to Win Several Proportional Seats," Resurfaces After Yong Hyein's Resignation Seven Years Later

Yong Hyein Withdraws Ministerial Nomination

2019 President Lee’s Remarks Resurface

"Next Year, Try for the National Assembly... It'd Be Good if You Won Several Proportional Seats"

Yong Hyein, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, withdrew her candidacy just 14 days after being nominated. This decision came only three days after she asserted her intent to retain her proportional seat in the National Assembly while serving concurrently as a minister, vowing to directly address various controversies. Yong's resignation has also cast renewed attention on her past ties with President Lee Jaemyung and the Basic Income Party. Back in 2019, when Lee was the governor of Gyeonggi Province, he made remarks to members of the Basic Income Party’s founding committee expressing hopes for their advancement to the National Assembly through proportional representation. At the time, Yong, who was preparing to launch the party, went on to serve two separate terms as a proportional representative in the National Assembly.

In June 2023, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung presented Yong Hye-in, who was then the co-leader of the Basic Income Party, with a letter of appointment as the head of the Advisory Group for the Basic Social Committee at the 'Metropolitan Basic Social Committee Chairperson Appointment Ceremony' held at the party's office in the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

At the 2019 Basic Income Party Founding Committee Meeting: "Next Year, Try for the National Assembly"

On President Lee's YouTube channel, the video "A Talk with Lee Jaemyung, the Basic Income Trailblazer" features a meeting held on December 6, 2019, in the situation room of Gyeonggi Provincial Government with the Basic Income Party’s founding committee leadership.

Key figures from the Basic Income Party in attendance included Yong Hyein, standing representative of the founding committee, Shin Jihye, Gyeonggi Basic Income Party standing chairperson, and Park Gihong, head of strategic planning for the founding committee.

President Lee expressed interest in the network that had been built through basic income advocacy. When Yong introduced the participants as "people I met before forming the political party, while working for basic income," Lee remarked that it was a "meaningful activity."

The conversation naturally turned to elections and legislative entry. Lee referenced the possibility of the Basic Income Party entering local councils and said he hoped they would do so in the next regional election, then added, "Next year, try for the National Assembly." He went further, saying, "It would be ideal if the Basic Income Party could win several proportional seats in next year’s general election."

Actually Elected as a Proportional Representative in the 2020 and 2024 Elections... and Became the First Cabinet Nominee Born in the 1990s

At the time, these remarks could be seen as conveying political expectations for a small party preparing to launch. However, seven years later, the implications have changed. In the 2020 general election, Yong was elected as the fifth proportional representative on the Together Citizens' Party list. In the 2024 general election, she returned to the National Assembly as a proportional representative for the Democratic Unity Alliance, which included the Democratic Party of Korea. In effect, President Lee’s comment about "entering the National Assembly through proportional representation" became a reality in Yong’s political journey.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Candidate Hyein Yong is arriving at the hearing preparation office set up in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

After Yong was nominated as a candidate on August 30, she became embroiled in various controversies. At the center of the debate was the issue of holding both a proportional representative position in the National Assembly and a ministerial post. Yong refused demands to resign, arguing that as the Basic Income Party’s only member of the National Assembly, relinquishing her seat would leave the party without parliamentary representation—a crucial issue for minor parties.

This led to additional criticism that retaining her proportional seat while serving as minister could be perceived as a personal privilege. Further suspicions arose regarding her spouse's party appointments and concerns that party operations under her leadership were becoming overly personalized. As a result, scrutiny broadened from the dual-office issue to cover the overall management and operations of the Basic Income Party.

As the controversy intensified, on the 10th Yong held a press conference to directly refute calls for her resignation. She maintained that "dual office-holding as a lawmaker and cabinet member is permitted by law," and expressed her intent to clarify these issues at the confirmation hearing. She also said there should be a separate institutional discussion about allowing such dual roles.

Voluntary Withdrawal After Ongoing Controversy... Only 14 Days after Nomination

However, just three days later, on the 13th, Yong held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office, where she announced her withdrawal. She explained, "The Democratic Party conveyed to me that, while they respect the circumstances faced by me and the Basic Income Party, the lack of public consensus on holding both a proportional seat and a ministerial role led them to ask that I make a decision."

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Nominee Yong Hyein is bowing in greeting after finishing a voluntary withdrawal press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

She added, "With even the ruling party expressing concerns, I determined it would be realistically difficult to perform my duties under these circumstances. Stopping here is necessary to carry on the spirit of solidarity both within the Democratic Party, Basic Income Party, and the broader progressive camp."

Criticizes "Malicious Distortion"... Announces Return to Parliamentary Work

Even as she stepped down, Yong strongly criticized the scrutiny to which she was subjected. She argued that Members of the People Power Party and certain media outlets had spread suspicions without sufficient fact-checking.

She stated, "For the past two weeks, instead of proper vetting, lawmakers from the People Power Party have mocked and belittled the position of minor parties while certain media outlets have continually published maliciously distorted stories, all without adequate fact-checking or granting me a proper right of reply."

She continued, "I am grateful to the President for trusting me with such an important task, and regret that I was unable to fully fulfill that mission. I will return to my work in the National Assembly with renewed humility and dedication, reflecting on my actions and striving for maturity."

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