(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Hong Jun-seok = Attention is being paid to whether Representative Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party, who was nominated as the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, will be able to overcome the threshold of the National Assembly's personnel hearing.
Various suspicions and controversies are continuing, including serving as a proportional representative member of parliament and serving as a minister, 'self-appointment' of spouses and receiving government subsidies, turning the Basic Income Party into a private party, condoning gender discrimination in the so-called 'under-organization', and planning the Sewol Ferry silent protest under a borrowed name, but Rep. Yong has remained silent.
While the opposition party is calling for the resignation of lawmakers or candidates, there are also voices from the ruling party that are raising the possibility that the actual appointment may not proceed depending on public opinion after the hearing.
According to the Ministry of Politics and Gender Equality on the 7th, Rep. Yong is receiving budget reports by office and department at the personnel hearing preparation office set up at the Korea Youth Activity Promotion Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul this morning.
Since his first day at work on the 2nd, he has repeatedly responded to reporters who have asked about his position on the controversy over concurrent employment and various suspicions, saying, "I will tell you at the hearing," but has not provided a detailed explanation.
In response to suspicions of 'trick-saving' that he may have paid excessive party dues to save taxes, he has remained silent except for distributing explanatory materials through the personnel hearing preparation team and refuting it by saying that it was "ordinary political activity."
The first issue that arose was the issue of proportional representation and simultaneous ministerial positions.
Article 29 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that members of the National Assembly may concurrently serve as State Council members.
However, in the case of proportional representation members, it has become a practice to minimize legislative gaps to resign so that the next candidate can succeed to the position.
In 2015, former Saenuri Party lawmaker Kang Eun-hee, who was nominated as the third candidate for the Minister of Gender Equality and Family under the Park Geun-hye administration, refused to give up her proportional representation position and eventually resigned as criticism grew.
In relation to this, Representative Yong said, "I am well aware of the concerns that it may be seen as a privilege or benefit," but expressed his position to maintain his position as a member of the National Assembly, saying, "If I, the only member of the party, resign, there is a difficulty in that the Basic Income Party will have to become a party outside the National Assembly."
Suspicions regarding spouses and controversy surrounding the operation of the basic income party continue.
Park Ki-hong, a member of the Basic Income Party's Supreme Council and the spouse of Rep. Yong, is suspected of 'self-appointment' in which he was appointed to a key party position at a meeting attended by the couple, and of receiving government subsidies unfairly by using the maternity and childcare leave system.
One of the suspicions that Rep. Yong and his spouse are involved in is an 'underground organization'.
As a result of the Labor Party's fact-finding investigation into the issues raised by Lee Ga-hyeon, chairman of the part-time workers' union, in February 2018, it was confirmed that the so-called 'under-organization' known to have been active by Rep. Yong and his wife used educational textbooks containing content such as premarital chastity and the prohibition of abortion.
In addition, there are suspicions in the political world that Rep. Yong only held a 'closed door meeting' when receiving nomination for proportional representation and did not go through democratic procedures.
History and expertise were also on the chopping block.
Regarding the fact that Rep. Yong took the lead in completely abolishing the prosecution's right to supplementary investigation, the Korean Women's Political Network took the position that he was "unqualified to be the Minister of Gender Equality."
In addition, it was argued that there was actually a separate original proposer in the history of Rep. Yong's history as a 'proponent of a silent march in memory of the Sewol Ferry victims', which served as a stepping stone for his growth as a politician.
Former Women's Committee Chairman Kim appeared on JTBC's 'Genreman Yeouido' on the 4th and revealed that she was the first to suggest the silent march, saying, "(Supreme Commissioner Park) insisted that we go to Yong Hye-in unconditionally because she was from Ansan at the time."
There are also concerns surrounding the appointment of Rep. Yong in the ruling party.
There is also a view within the Democratic Party that Rep. Yong could follow in the footsteps of former Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, whose nomination for Minister of Planning and Budget was withdrawn. This means that completing the hearing and actually becoming a minister are two separate issues.
Rep. Yong said he would reveal various allegations in detail at the hearing, and the Blue House also expressed its position that they should be given an opportunity to explain themselves through the hearing.
Some interpret it as a situation where it would be difficult for the ruling party to publicly protest, as personnel matters are the exclusive authority of the president.
A Democratic Party official said, "We know of course that it is a serious situation because it is shown in the party's approval rating," but added, "It seems there is not much we can do in a situation where the Blue House is also in the position that it must be given a chance to explain itself."
Independent (Democratic Party at the time) representative Kang Seon-woo, who was nominated as the first candidate for Minister of Gender Equality and Family under the Lee Jae-myung administration, was also embroiled in controversy over abuse of power by his aides and false explanations, and voluntarily resigned after the hearing and was unable to become minister.
In addition, under the Yoon Seok-yeol government, Kim Haeng, former member of the People Power Party's emergency response committee, and under the Park Geun-hye government, Lee Chun-ho, vice-president of the Korean Liberty Federation, was nominated as a candidate for the Minister of Gender Equality and Family but failed.
