As Yong Hye-in sticks to dual posts, even ruling party calls for re-examination of Cheong Wa Dae's personnel vetting
As controversy continues over Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in's plan to simultaneously keep her ministerial post and the proportional-representation National Assembly seat allocated through her party's share of the vote, criticism emerged on the 3rd even from within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea that Cheong Wa Dae's vetting of the nominee's qualifications had fallen short.
Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok said on the YouTube program "Minti 07" that day, "I have been listening to a great deal of concern and criticism and thinking it over deeply." He explained that this case differs from the norm because it involves how to judge facts that have already come to light even without a confirmation hearing, in which the National Assembly reviews a ministerial nominee's qualifications, adding, "We must respect the many voices of the people and give this serious thought."
It was Rep. Yun Geon-young of the Democratic Party who directly raised the vetting issue. On MBC radio that day, he noted that "while district lawmakers win their Assembly seats through the choice of local residents, proportional representatives become lawmakers on the basis of their expertise," and that "entering the Cabinet as a minister means putting that expertise to work in the executive branch." By convention, he explained, it is difficult to hold both at once. Rep. Yun added, "This is a matter of personnel vetting. I think this is an opportunity to take another look at the (presidential office's) vetting criteria."
The main opposition People Power Party took aim at the presidential office by tying the nominee's dual-post controversy to shoddy personnel vetting. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo wrote on Facebook, demanding that "President Lee Jae-myung must clarify whether he nominated Yong despite knowing of her intention to hold both posts," adding, "If he knew and nominated her anyway, he is an accomplice steeped in privilege; if he did not know, he is incompetent for losing sight of the public's perspective." Spokesperson Cho Yong-sul, in a written statement, raised past suspicions of the nominee's private use of airport VIP rooms — separate from the dual-post issue — before stressing that "picking someone already mired in controversy as a ministerial nominee is itself proof of the appointing authority's sloppy personnel practices."
The nominee reported to the confirmation hearing preparation office in Seodaemun, Seoul, on the 3rd. No announcement has yet been made that she has formally backed away from her plan to hold both posts.
