Key facts
- Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in acknowledged concerns about retaining her National Assembly seat.
- She stated she is listening to the worries and will present her thoughts during her confirmation hearing.
- Yong previously indicated she would keep her seat, a move that deviates from convention for proportional representatives.
- Her party, the Basic Income Party, would become non-parliamentary if she resigns her seat.
Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in said Wednesday she is aware of concerns over retaining her National Assembly seat after her nomination, while sidestepping direct questions about calls for her resignation from parliament. Yong has faced growing pressure to give up her legislative seat after stating her intention to keep it even after being appointed to the Cabinet position, a move that breaks from convention for proportional representatives. "I will well prepare for the confirmation hearing and deliver my thoughts after organizing them," she told reporters when asked about the calls to resign. "I am listening to the many worries and concerns." While lawmakers can serve in the Cabinet, proportional representatives like Yong have customarily relinquished their parliamentary seats to accept such posts. Yong, who is the sole lawmaker of the Basic Income Party, highlighted that her party would cease to be a parliamentary party should she resign her seat.