Controversial gender minister nominee withdraws candidacy

Rep. Yong Hye-in withdrew her nomination for minister of gender equality and family in Seoul on Sunday after two weeks of criticism over keeping her National Assembly seat. She said opposition from within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea made the job impossible in practice. Cheong Wa Dae respected her decision, while DPK leader Kim Min-seok moved to reinforce ties with her party and other progressive forces.

Yong said she stepped down at a press conference at the National Assembly and linked her decision to preserving solidarity among the DPK, the Basic Income Party and the broader democratic progressive bloc.

The withdrawal came after she was nominated on Aug. 30 and said she would keep her parliamentary seat, arguing that resigning would leave the Basic Income Party without National Assembly representation.

Women’s rights groups opposed her nomination, saying she was unqualified because she had backed a bill that stripped the prosecution of direct investigative powers.

The DPK and the PPP both criticized the nomination process, with the PPP floor leader calling on President Lee Jae Myung to apologize over the personnel screening failure.

Parliamentary confirmation hearings were set to begin Monday, with multiple cabinet nominees, including Kim Seung-won for justice minister, scheduled for hearings later in the week.

Published Sep 13, 2026 11:42 am KST

Updated Sep 13, 2026 5:52 pm KST

Confirmation hearings for other Cabinet picks to proceed as scheduled

Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party bows after announceing the withdrawal of her nomination for minister of gender equality and family at the National Assembly, Sunday. Yonhap

Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her nomination for minister of gender equality and family Sunday, ending two weeks of mounting controversy over her decision to retain her parliamentary seat alongside the cabinet post.

“I decided to step down as the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, relinquishing my personal determination to create a gender-equal society for all under the Lee Jae Myung administration,” Yong said during a press conference at the National Assembly.

She cited opposition from within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as the decisive factor.

“Cabinet members are meant to bridge the Assembly and government to build consensus. With even the ruling party voicing concern, I concluded that fulfilling the duties in reality would be impossible,” Yong said. “I also determined that stopping here is necessary to carry forward the spirit of solidarity of the DPK, the Basic Income Party and the broader democratic progressive bloc.”

Yong also directed criticism at the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), accusing it of abandoning its role in the confirmation process.

“Over the past two weeks, PPP lawmakers gave up their job of candidate verification to mock and belittle the challenges faced by a minor political party instead,” she said.

“Meanwhile, some media outlets released malicious and distorted coverage without fact-checking or guaranteeing even basic rights of rebuttal. I waited for the confirmation hearing as I wanted to explain directly to the public because I have nothing to hide. Yet in the end, the PPP refused to even schedule the hearing.”

President Lee Jae Myung presides over a meeting with senior presidential aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

After the announcement, Cheong Wa Dae said that it respected Yong’s decision to voluntarily step down, calling it a move to ease pressures on the administration.

“We respect the nominee’s choice. It appears that it is a self-determined move aimed at easing the burdens on state affairs and public livelihoods,” senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.

DPK leader Kim Min-seok was known to have urged Yong to step down. An aide said Kim believed that while retaining a parliamentary seat alongside a cabinet post was not a legal violation, it fell short of public expectations and sentiment.

After her withdrawal, Kim signaled that the DPK would move to strengthen its alliance with Yong's party and other progressive forces.

"We will accelerate discussions on political reform and strengthening our alliance with progressive forces, including Rep. Yong and the Basic Income Party," he said at a consultative meeting of senior party and government officials Sunday afternoon.

Regarding Yong's withdrawal, PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig called for an apology from the president, saying "I urge President Lee to apologize to the public over this Yong Hye-in nomination fiasco and take responsible measures regarding the presidential personnel vetting team that failed in its screening."

The withdrawal followed mounting backlash from both ruling and opposition lawmakers, as well as women's rights groups, who argued she was unfit for the post after announcing she would retain her parliamentary seat, a move critics called a break from convention.

Yong, a two-term lawmaker, secured both her terms through proportional representation on party-list tickets formed by liberal satellite coalitions led by the DPK. After her Cabinet nomination on Aug. 30, she said she would keep her Assembly seat, arguing that stepping down would leave the Basic Income Party without parliamentary representation, as an institutional gap in coalition politics would prevent the party from inheriting her seat.

Even within the DPK, opinions were divided on whether it was acceptable for Yong to retain her seat. Some argued that it was not illegal, while others claimed it would inevitably escalate into a broader fairness controversy.

Meanwhile, many women's rights groups opposed her nomination, claiming she was unqualified for the post because Yong had backed a legislative bill that stripped the prosecution of its direct investigative powers. They argued the legal changes weaken protections for victims of sexual violence and other vulnerable people by removing a crucial layer of prosecutorial review.

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[ED] Yong’s resignation and lessons for Lee gov't

Lawmakers hold an interpellation session on foreign policy, unification and national defense during the regular parliamentary session's sixth plenary meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Confirmation hearing week

Parliamentary confirmation hearings for justice and Cabinet nominees begin Monday, with the National Assembly vetting Supreme Court justice nominee Kim Sung-soo, recommended by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. On Tuesday, lawmakers will hold simultaneous hearings for three cabinet nominees: Lee Hyoung-il for deputy prime minister and finance minister, Rep. Kim Seung-won for justice minister and Rep. Lee So-young for minister of SMEs and startups. Hearings continue Wednesday for Defense Minister nominee Kang Shin-chul and Land Minister nominee Hong Jee-sun.

The most contentious hearing is expected to be for the justice minister nominee, who faces allegations that he illegally lobbied the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2021 to help win approval for a COVID-19 treatment. Kim has denied any wrongdoing, saying he will provide a detailed explanation at his hearing.

The DPK has rallied behind Kim's nomination, a move widely seen as an effort to complete the Lee administration's prosecution reform agenda ahead of the October launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

The PPP claimed Lee appointed a close ally to shield himself from future legal exposure.

“As co-chair of an organization advocating for the dismissal of indictments against the president, (nominee Kim) represents the final piece of the puzzle at the justice ministry to shield the president from legal risks,” Rep. Choi Bo-yun, senior spokesperson of the PPP, said in a statement Sunday.

The party also accused the DPK of normalizing hearings without witnesses, saying, "While shouting for parliamentary democracy when they were the opposition, once becoming the ruling party they became the regime's vanguard and are conducting parliamentary dictatorship."

Other nominees Lee Hyoung-il, Lee So-young, Kang Shin-chul and Hong Jee-sun are also facing scrutiny ahead of their hearings, with real estate irregularities among the most common allegations — an irony given that the Lee administration has championed the principle that housing should be a place to live, not a vehicle for investment.

在因保留国会议员席位而遭受两周批评后，韩国国会议员容惠仁于周日撤回了其担任性别平等与家庭部长的提名。她表示，来自执政党共同民主党内部的反对使得这项工作实际上无法完成。青瓦台尊重了她的决定，而共同民主党党首金珉锡则着手加强与容惠仁所在政党及其他进步力量的联系。

杨在国会举行的新闻发布会上表示，她辞职是为了维护民主党、全民基本收入党以及更广泛的民主进步联盟之间的团结。

在她于 8 月 30 日获得提名并表示将保留其议员席位后，她宣布退出，理由是辞职将使基本收入党在国民议会中失去代表席位。

妇女权益组织反对她的提名，称她不具备资格，因为她曾支持一项剥夺检方直接调查权的法案。

民主党和人民进步党都对提名过程提出了批评，人民进步党党团领袖呼吁总统李在明就人事审查失败道歉。

国会确认听证会定于周一开始，包括法务部长金承元在内的多位内阁提名人选的听证会定于本周晚些时候举行。

发布于2026年9月13日上午11:42（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月13日下午5:52（韩国标准时间）

其他内阁人选的确认听证会将按计划进行。

周日，基本收入党议员容惠仁在国会宣布撤回其性别平等和家庭部长的提名后鞠躬致意。（韩联社）

周日，来自小党基本收入党的议员杨惠仁撤回了她对性别平等和家庭部长的提名，结束了两周以来围绕她决定保留国会议员席位和内阁职位而引发的争议。

“我决定辞去性别平等和家庭部长的提名人选，放弃我个人在李在明政府领导下为所有人创造性别平等社会的决心，”龙在国会举行的新闻发布会上说。

她认为来自执政的韩国共同民主党（DPK）内部的反对是决定性因素。

“内阁成员的职责是搭建国会与政府之间的桥梁，以达成共识。但即便执政党也表达了担忧，我认为实际上履行这些职责是不可能的，”永先生说。“我还认为，为了延续民主党、全民基本收入党以及更广泛的民主进步联盟的团结精神，到此为止是必要的。”

永也对主要反对党人民力量党（PPP）提出了批评，指责该党放弃了在确认过程中应尽的职责。

“在过去的两个星期里，人民进步党议员们放弃了候选人资格审查的工作，反而嘲笑和贬低一个小政党面临的挑战，”她说。

“与此同时，一些媒体恶意歪曲事实，发布虚假报道，既不核实事实，也不保障基本的反驳权利。我一直等待确认听证会，因为我想直接向公众解释，我没有什么可隐瞒的。然而最终，人民进步党甚至拒绝安排听证会。”

周三，李在明总统在首尔青瓦台主持召开总统高级幕僚会议。（联合记者团）

消息公布后，青瓦台表示尊重龙正熙自愿辞职的决定，称此举旨在缓解政府压力。

总统府高级发言人康裕贞在一份声明中表示：“我们尊重被提名人的选择。这似乎是他为减轻国家事务和民众生活负担而采取的自主行动。”

据悉，朝鲜民主主义人民党主席金珉锡曾敦促容金正恩辞职。一位助手表示，金珉锡认为，虽然同时担任国会议员和内阁职务并不违法，但这不符合公众的期望和意愿。

在她退出后，金正恩发出信号，朝鲜民主主义人民党将加强与杨荣文领导的政党和其他进步力量的联盟。

“我们将加快政治改革的讨论，并加强与包括杨议员和全民基本收入党在内的进步力量的联盟，”他在周日下午举行的高级党政官员磋商会议上说。

针对李显龙的退出，人民进步党党团领袖郑严实呼吁总统道歉，他说：“我敦促李总统就李显龙提名失败一事向公众道歉，并对未能履行职责的总统人事审查小组采取负责任的措施。”

在她宣布将保留议员席位后，执政党和反对党议员以及妇女权利组织纷纷表示反对，认为她不适合担任该职位，批评人士称此举打破了惯例。随后，她宣布退出。

曾任两届国会议员的杨女士，两次都是通过由民主党领导的自由派卫星联盟组建的政党名单，并以比例代表制的方式当选。8月30日获得内阁提名后，她表示将继续保留国会议员席位，理由是如果辞职，由于联盟政治中的制度性漏洞，全民基本收入党将无法继承她的席位，从而失去国会席位。

即使在民主党内部，对于杨咏琪是否应该继续担任议席也存在分歧。一些人认为这并不违法，而另一些人则声称这必然会演变成一场更广泛的公平性争议。

与此同时，许多妇女权益组织反对她的提名，声称她不具备担任该职位的资格，因为杨曾支持一项剥夺检方直接调查权的立法提案。她们认为，这些法律修改取消了检方审查这一关键环节，削弱了对性暴力受害者和其他弱势群体的保护。

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周四，在首尔举行的国会第六次全体会议上，议员们就外交政策、统一和国防问题举行了质询。韩联社

确认听证会周

国会将于周一开始对司法部长和内阁成员提名人进行确认听证。首先，国会将审查最高法院大法官提名人金成洙，该提名由首席大法官赵熙大推荐。周二，国会将同时对三位内阁成员提名人进行听证：李亨日（Lee Hyoung-il）提名副总理兼财政部长，金承元（Kim Seung-won）提名法务部长，李素英（Lee So-young）提名中小企业和创业部长。周三，国会将继续对国防部长提名人姜信哲（Kang Shin-chul）和国土安全部长提名人洪知善（Hong Jee-sun）进行听证。

预计最具争议的听证会将针对司法部长提名人选，他被指控在2021年非法游说食品药品安全部，以帮助其批准一种新冠肺炎治疗药物。金某否认有任何不当行为，并表示将在听证会上做出详细解释。

朝鲜民主主义人民党（DPK）已全力支持金的提名，此举被广泛视为李明博政府为在10月成立重案调查院之前完成检察改革议程而做出的努力。

人民进步党声称李光耀任命了一位亲信来保护自己免受未来的法律风险。

“作为主张撤销对总统起诉的组织的联合主席，（提名人）金是司法部保护总统免受法律风险的最后一块拼图，”人民进步党高级发言人崔宝云议员周日在一份声明中表示。

该党还指责民主党将无证人听证会常态化，并表示：“他们当初作为反对党时高喊议会民主，一旦成为执政党，就成了政权的先锋，实行议会独裁。”

其他提名人李亨日、李素英、姜信哲和洪知善在听证会前也面临审查，其中最常见的指控是房地产违规——这颇具讽刺意味，因为李氏政府一直倡导住房应该是居住的地方，而不是投资的工具。