Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party, nominated as Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, said she intends to keep her proportional-representation seat in the National Assembly even after being appointed Minister.
On the 31st, Yong said on her social media (SNS), "I would like to carefully share my position regarding the custom of resigning from a National Assembly seat," adding, "I am well aware of the many concerns that resignation from the seat could be seen as a privilege or a benefit."
Yong said, "If I were not the only Basic Income Party lawmaker, I would not have agonized over whether to resign my seat," but added, "In a situation where the Basic Income Party cannot inherit the proportional-representation seat, if I, the party's only member of the National Assembly, resign, the Basic Income Party would be forced to become a non-parliamentary party, which would be difficult."
She continued, "I respectfully ask for understanding regarding the difficulties of a minority party, where an individual's decision inevitably ties directly to the party's path," adding, "I would also note that I have already informed the party that I will not run as a proportional-representation candidate in the next general election."
Yong said, "I will listen to and reflect on both the encouragement and the criticism from the public with humility, and I will prepare so that I can answer sincerely at the confirmation hearing."
Yong was elected in the 2024 general election as a candidate of the proportional coalition Democratic Party Alliance, which included the Democratic Party of Korea. If Yong resigns her seat, Go Jae-soon, former secretary-general of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation and a member of the Democratic Party rather than the Basic Income Party, would inherit the seat as the next-in-line candidate on the same proportional list.
Under current law, a member of the National Assembly may concurrently serve as a cabinet member. However, when a proportional-representation lawmaker enters the cabinet and gives up the seat, the next-in-line candidate can inherit it, so resigning the seat has long been regarded as a political custom.