Gender minister nominee reiterates intention to maintain Assembly seat

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SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in on Thursday reiterated her intention to retain her National Assembly seat, stressing that lawmakers are allowed to concurrently serve as Cabinet members by law.

The remarks came amid growing calls for Yong to give up her parliamentary seat after she earlier said she would keep her seat even after joining the Cabinet.

"The law allows lawmakers to concurrently serve as Cabinet members," she said during a press conference at the National Assembly.

Under current law, lawmakers can double as members of the Cabinet, though proportional representatives have customarily given up their parliamentary seats to join the Cabinet, passing on the post to the next candidate in line on the proportional representation list.

Yong, who is currently the sole lawmaker of the minor Basic Income Party, earlier said she would keep her Assembly seat even if she becomes the minister, noting that her party would become a non-parliamentary party should she resign as lawmaker.

Yong Hye-in, the nominee for the new gender equality and family minister, attends a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 10, 2026. (Yonhap)

"It is difficult to simply apply past convention to my case, as I am the first sitting opposition lawmaker to be nominated for a Cabinet post since the coalition between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-pil," Yong said, referring to the political alliance formed between the two leaders ahead of the 1997 presidential election.

Yong added that she accepted the nomination because she believed working toward achieving gender equality was more important than her personal gain.

"If I had put my personal achievements first, I would not have accepted the ministerial post to serve the country and the people," she said.

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), meanwhile, remain at odds over the date of Yong's confirmation hearing.

A meeting of the National Assembly's gender equality and family committee, which was scheduled for early Thursday to discuss the adoption of Yong's confirmation hearing report, was canceled amid disagreements over who should be summoned for the hearing.

Yong expressed regret that a date for the hearing has not been set yet, saying she had been preparing for the confirmation hearing to address all allegations surrounding her.

"It is regrettable that even those within the DP seem to be swayed by baseless speculation and malicious accusations, though the PPP's unreasonable demands may be the root cause," she said.

julesyi@yna.co.kr (END)

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Gender minister nominee reiterates intention to maintain Assembly seat

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首尔，9月10日（韩联社）——性别部长官提名人李容惠仁周四重申了她保留国会议员席位的意愿，并强调法律允许议员同时担任内阁成员。

此前，杨洁篪曾表示，即使加入内阁，她也会保留议员席位，但此后要求她放弃议员席位的呼声越来越高。

“法律允许议员同时担任内阁成员，”她在国民议会举行的新闻发布会上说。

根据现行法律，议员可以兼任内阁成员，但比例代表通常会放弃他们的议会席位加入内阁，并将该职位让给比例代表名单上的下一位候选人。

目前是小党“基本收入党”唯一议员的杨女士此前表示，即使她成为部长，她也会保留她的议员席位，并指出如果她辞去议员职务，她的政党将成为一个非议会政党。

2026年9月10日，新任性别平等和家庭部长官提名人选容惠仁在首尔国会出席记者招待会。（韩联社）

“很难简单地将过去的惯例应用于我的情况，因为我是自金大中和金正弼结盟以来，第一位被提名担任内阁职务的在任反对党议员，”永说，他指的是两位领导人在1997年总统选举前结成的政治联盟。

Yong补充说，她接受提名是因为她认为为实现性别平等而努力比个人利益更重要。

“如果我把个人成就放在首位，我就不会接受部长职位来为国家和人民服务，”她说。

与此同时，执政的民主党（DP）和主要反对党人民力量党（PPP）在杨的确认听证会日期问题上仍然存在分歧。

原定于周四早些时候举行的国会性别平等和家庭委员会会议，旨在讨论是否通过杨的确认听证报告，但由于对应该传唤谁参加听证会产生分歧，会议被取消。

Yong对听证会日期尚未确定表示遗憾，并称她一直在为确认听证会做准备，以回应所有针对她的指控。

“令人遗憾的是，即使是民主党内部人士似乎也受到了毫无根据的猜测和恶意指责的影响，尽管人民进步党的不合理要求可能是根本原因，”她说。

julesyi@yna.co.kr (完)

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性别平等部长提名人重申其保住议会席位的意愿