Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in Faces 'Celestial Dragon' Criticism

Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in has recently been criticized as a 'Celestial Dragon' even within the left wing. Park Min-young, media spokesperson for the People Power Party, referred to Assemblywoman Yong, saying, "She's being called a Celestial Dragon," explaining that the term alludes to the privileged noble class in the popular manga 'One Piece'.

This criticism appears to stem from a deep resentment among young people towards unfair practices that have become widespread.

Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in's history of consecutive proportional representation elections has caused significant controversy. Spokesperson Park Min-young pointed out that Assemblywoman Yong was "elected twice only through the Democratic Party's satellite party, not her own party's satellite party," criticizing that being elected as a proportional representative twice consecutively through the Democratic Party's satellite party is an unprecedented privilege in constitutional history.

Furthermore, she has shown behavior that deviates from common sense, such as insisting on holding a ministerial position while maintaining her parliamentary seat, raising increasing questions about its background and appropriateness within and outside political circles.

Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in's receipt of 1.1 billion won in national subsidies annually while maintaining her parliamentary seat has become controversial. Representative Na Kyung-won pointed out the seriousness of this issue, stating, "She makes a fake Lee Jae-myung show, then goes back to the Basic Income Party and receives 1.1 billion won a year."

This amounts to approximately 270 million won per quarter, leading to criticisms of tax waste alongside the inappropriateness of holding both a ministerial position and a parliamentary seat.

Spokesperson Park Min-young criticized that holding both a ministerial and a parliamentary position is incompatible with South Korea's presidential system. Spokesperson Park asked, "Is it realistically possible to perform ministerial duties, work as a cabinet member, and then come to the National Assembly to attend plenary sessions, standing committees, and propose bills?" pointing out that it is physically impossible to efficiently carry out both ministerial and parliamentary duties simultaneously.

He also mentioned that if a proportional representative resigns, the next in line can succeed, criticizing that a sitting assembly member also holding a ministerial position can be perceived as a privileged element, with separate staff and bureaucrats at their disposal.

Spokesperson Park Min-young characterized Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in's case as the worst example of misusing the linked proportional representation system. Spokesperson Park emphasized, "This is the worst example of misusing the linked proportional representation system," criticizing Assemblywoman Yong for exploiting structural loopholes that concentrated votes on a specific party.

In particular, he raised issue with her pattern of being elected as a proportional representative by latching onto the Democratic Party, then being formally 'expelled' to return to her original party, thereby effectively maintaining her parliamentary seat and receiving national subsidies. He argued that this is not merely a systemic loophole but a consequence of bad laws designed to scheme for national subsidies.

Spokesperson Park asserted that such actions are clearly parasitic politics beyond political morality and a major cause of distorting voters' intentions and deepening political distrust. He viewed it as a typical case where the original intent of the linked proportional representation system has been completely undermined, making the justification of helping smaller parties enter the National Assembly meaningless.

Spokesperson Park Min-young identified radical feminism and gender division as key reasons for the exodus of the Democratic Party's supporters, especially among the youth. Spokesperson Park stated, "The advocating of feminism, radical feminism, and the division between men and women is pointed out as a core reason why young people who previously supported the Democratic Party have left."

He analyzed that this brings back nightmare memories of certain policies and statements during the Moon Jae-in administration that caused resentment among young men, leading them to withdraw their support for the Democratic Party.

Claims that Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in receives approximately 2 billion won annually in national subsidies and salaries have emerged, escalating the privilege controversy. Spokesperson Park Min-young pointed out, "Now, the national subsidies are 1.3 billion, 1.1 billion, and if you add the salaries for parliamentary aides, that's about 560 million won. Every year. So she receives almost 2 billion won annually."

This amount is the sum of 1.1 billion won in annual national subsidies and approximately 560 million won for parliamentary aides' salaries. Coupled with the fact that Assemblywoman Yong's husband previously served as secretary-general, criticism of her privileged status is intensifying.

Allegations have surfaced that Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in's nomination was a 'bait product' intended to divert attention from the controversy surrounding Assemblyman Kim Seung-won. Spokesperson Park Min-young asserted, "It makes me wonder if Yong Hye-in was brought in as a card to disperse the attention that might have been focused on Kim Seung-won, but we still need to talk about it."

He also mentioned that the controversy surrounding Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in "will likely play a far more critical role in the decline of Lee Jae-myung's approval rating than Kim Seung-won," suggesting it could be a major trigger for negatively impacting Representative Lee Jae-myung's approval rating.

Concerns have been raised that Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in's support for the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act has sparked a 'fashion feminism' controversy, potentially leading to an exodus of even her 2030 female supporters. Spokesperson Park Min-young criticized, "Excluding 2030 women, everyone finds her a hateful figure, but even those 2030 women and women's organizations said, 'You supported the Criminal Procedure Act amendment?' This single statement reveals that it was just fashion feminism."

This can be interpreted as an attempt to leverage an anti-prosecution narrative based on the Roh Moo-hyun story, and ultimately, it is pointed out that Assemblywoman Yong is a figure with virtually no demographic that she can appeal to. The analysis suggests that while she espoused feminism to gain support from a specific demographic, her actual policy decisions showed conflicting stances, thereby weakening her real support base.

Consequently, there is a forecast that Assemblywoman Yong Hye-in's actions will bring more losses than gains to the Democratic Party, and Spokesperson Park added that it could particularly lead to disappointment among young women.