The surprise nomination of Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party as minister of gender equality and family is drawing criticism not only from conservatives but also from within the broader pro-government camp, with signs of a renewed debate over feminism. Some worry that Yong's past as a hard-line feminist activist could reignite gender conflict that had only recently subsided.
Lee Jun-seok, former leader of the Reform Party, wrote on Facebook on the 30th after the Lee Jae-myung administration announced its cabinet reshuffle, "We had finally cleared out the 'kkolpemi' [a derogatory term for feminists], so why stir that up again?" He added, "President Lee Jae-myung is drinking blowfish poison, and the country will once again be caught up in the pain." Lee attached a 2016 post from the Justice Party's member bulletin board. Although he did not identify a specific target, the post is being read as aimed at Yong, given that the period coincides with her time as a young politician in the Justice Party and that she has been known for hard-line feminist positions.
Rep. Kim Jae-sub of the People Power Party said on social media that Yong "has turned away from the safety of women actually in danger while using a comprehensive anti-discrimination law to brand men as potential offenders — a divisive agitator."
Kim Yong-min, a YouTuber sympathetic to the government, attacked Yong more directly, asking whether the party was "determined to lose the general election." In a Facebook post, he wrote, "Didn't the Democratic Party, even at its recent policy retreat, discuss the collective defection of men in their 20s — the so-called 'idaenam' — as a serious threat to the party?" He continued, "In that situation, what message is the Democratic Party sending to male voters in their 20s and 30s by nominating as gender equality minister someone who has been seen as holding hard-line feminist views?"
One internet user, who identified himself as a former chair of the Justice Party's youth and student committee, claimed that Yong "raised funds for a honeymoon trip to Moscow."
Political figures critical of Yong have taken issue with her past push for a so-called non-consensual intercourse offense, which would add the question of consent to the elements of rape. Kim also criticized her, saying the government "has installed Yong Hye-in, an admirer of the non-consensual intercourse offense, in a ministerial post."
Some inside and outside politics say Yong has received excessive political favors. Though serving her second term in the National Assembly, she has never run in a district race and has won her seat only through proportional representation. She was elected through the Platform Party in the 21st general election and through the Democratic Alliance in the 22nd, both satellite parties of the Democratic Party. Critics call this a privilege, given that minor parties devote their entire organizational strength to electing a small number of lawmakers.
Criticism has also emerged within the party over Yong's position that she would keep her parliamentary seat even if appointed minister. Unlike district lawmakers, who commonly hold both posts, proportional representatives have customarily passed their seats to the next candidate on the list when joining the cabinet. Some within the party read the decision as reflecting Yong's political need to maintain control of her party.
