Why does Yong Hye-in say she can keep her National Assembly seat while becoming gender minister?

Yong says current law allows lawmakers to serve concurrently as Cabinet members. She argued that convention should not override the law in her case, even though proportional representatives have usually given up their seats when joining the Cabinet.

What is delaying Yong Hye-in's confirmation hearing in the National Assembly?

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party have not agreed on the hearing date. A committee meeting planned for Thursday was canceled after the parties disagreed over who should be summoned.

Why did Yong Hye-in say she accepted the gender minister nomination?

Yong said she accepted because she believed working toward gender equality was more important than her personal gain. She added that if she had put personal achievements first, she would not have taken the post to serve the country and the people.

Gender minister nominee reiterates intention to maintain Assembly seat

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Summary

Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in reiterated in Seoul on Thursday that she intends to keep her National Assembly seat if confirmed, saying the law allows lawmakers to serve concurrently as Cabinet members. She said the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition People Power Party remain split over the date of her confirmation hearing. Yong also said she accepted the nomination because gender equality mattered more than personal gain.

Key Facts

Yong said at a press conference at the National Assembly that the law allows lawmakers to concurrently serve as Cabinet members.
Under current law, lawmakers can double as Cabinet members, but proportional representatives have customarily given up their seats and passed them to the next person on the list.
Yong said she is the first sitting opposition lawmaker to be nominated for a Cabinet post since the coalition between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-pil before the 1997 presidential election.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 10, 2026 3:31 pm KST

Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. 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.

"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 of Korea (DPK) 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 DPK seem to be swayed by baseless speculation and malicious accusations, though the PPP's unreasonable demands may be the root cause," she said.

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