Controversial gender minister nominee steps down amid criticism

Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party withdrew her nomination as gender equality and family minister 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 parliament 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 and failing to guarantee 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.”

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

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

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 cabinet 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 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 the 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 that it would inevitably escalate into a broader fairness controversy.

Meanwhile, many women's rights groups opposed her nomination, claimed 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 groups by removing a crucial layer of prosecutorial review.