Public opinion has turned sharply against Yong Hye-in, the nominee for minister of gender equality and family, deepening the dilemma facing the Democratic Party of Korea. Some within the ruling party have gone so far as to suggest she would be better off declining the post. Attention is now focused on a press conference by President Lee Jae-myung, which the Blue House is expected to hold next week.
Park Sung-joon, the party's chief spokesperson, told reporters on the 11th after a budget and policy meeting in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, that the party is "urgently gathering assessments and opinions from inside and outside the party, centered on the leadership," and that it is "viewing the matter sternly, from the standpoint of the public."
Calls within the Democratic Party for Yong's status to be resolved had been voiced openly for some time, though the party leadership had refrained from public comment on her. The shift in tone is being read as a response to the negative sentiment that grew unmanageable after her press conference. On the 10th, Yong held a press conference at the National Assembly, where she addressed the various allegations raised against her and made clear her intention to see the process through.
Hard-line voices in the party now argue that her status must be settled before the confirmation hearing. Rep. Park Kyoun-taek said in an interview with a media outlet on the 10th, "If she considers the burden this places on the Lee Jae-myung administration, wouldn't it be better for her to decline the ministerial post?" Rep. Kim Nam-kuk also said of Yong, "Rebutting point by point, as if fighting with the public, was not appropriate." Appearing on a broadcast program on the 11th, Kim said of Yong's emergency press conference at the National Assembly the previous day, "Holding a 35-minute press conference, I think she should have aligned herself more closely with public sentiment and expectations."
With voluntary resignation now being discussed, some see the scheduling of a confirmation hearing as a burden in itself. Against that backdrop, political attention has turned to President Lee. The Blue House is reportedly giving strong consideration to holding a press briefing by the president as early as next week. For now, there has been no change in the position that Yong's hearing will proceed, though the possibility of a shift depending on how public opinion develops cannot be ruled out.
Kang Yu-jung, senior spokesperson for the Blue House, said at a briefing on the afternoon of the 11th that "the Blue House position is that a ministerial nominee should be given the opportunity to explain herself to the public," while adding that "we are listening to the diverse voices of the public."
Yong, meanwhile, has no official outside engagements this weekend and plans to continue preparing for the confirmation hearing at home. Under the Personnel Hearing Act, the National Assembly must complete the process within 20 days of the date a confirmation request is submitted. The request for Yong was submitted on the 3rd, making the statutory deadline the 22nd.
