Pressure eases on withdrawing Yong Hye-in's nomination, but now Sim Woo-sam is in the crosshairs
With Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in stepping down of her own accord on the 13th, President Lee Jae-myung was spared the political burden of having to withdraw the nomination himself. But criticism is mounting that the Blue House's personnel vetting was sloppy. It is reported that when President Lee's approval ratings on state affairs plummeted in recent opinion polls, the Blue House had no choice but to accept her resignation, abandoning the principle it had long maintained of "deciding a nominee's fate only after the confirmation hearing." Within the ruling party, there was reportedly a shared desire to put the matter to rest before the Chuseok holiday.
Shin Ji-hye, co-leader of the Basic Income Party, said, "As far as I know, there was no separate communication with the Blue House."
With Yong's candidacy falling through, the Blue House lost both of its strategic goals: broadening its appeal among people in their 20s and 30s and strengthening its alliance with progressive opposition parties. Critics say the Blue House focused too heavily on the novelty and symbolism of appointing a "thirtysomething young female minister." One Democratic Party lawmaker said, "It seems there won't be a suitable candidate going forward."
The criticism of inadequate vetting is hard to avoid. The Blue House reportedly viewed resigning from the National Assembly as the obvious customary step regarding the question of Yong's dual roles as lawmaker and minister, and did not conduct separate verification, such as confirming her intentions. Rep. Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party pointed out on Facebook on the 13th, "Personnel recommendations and selections must be careful, and vetting must also be thorough," adding, "If all the blame is directed at the President, that is the responsibility of the personnel line."
Over the past three years, three successive nominees for gender equality and family minister (formerly the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family) — Kim Haeng, Kang Sun-woo, and Yong Hye-in — have fallen through one after another. Kim Haeng was nominated in September 2023 as the successor to Minister Kim Hyun-sook, who offered to resign over the botched World Scout Jamboree, but withdrew her nomination within a month amid allegations of "stock parking." Kang Sun-woo was nominated in June 2024 and even went through a confirmation hearing before resigning over controversies including mistreatment of her aides — the first case of a sitting National Assembly member falling through since the confirmation hearing system was introduced. In the meantime, Deputy Minister Shin Young-sook served as acting minister for about a year and seven months, with the ministry's personnel vacuum repeating itself.
On follow-up measures, the Blue House said, "We will proceed according to established rules," and added, "We will do our utmost in vetting and selection to ensure appointments that meet the public's expectations." Some in the ruling camp have floated the idea of keeping Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyeong in her post. Political commentator Park Sang-byung said, "If vetting keeps going like this, approval ratings won't rise no matter how well they do everything else."
