Yong Hye-in Resigns Two Weeks After Ministerial Nomination

Candidate Yong officially announced her decision to resign at an emergency press conference at 11:30 AM today.

She explained that while she had nothing to be ashamed of, she received a request from the ruling party for a decision, citing concerns that there was not broad public consensus on the issue of holding multiple positions. Accordingly, Candidate Yong stated that she accepted the request for a decision due to the lack of public consensus.

The Blue House reportedly wished for Candidate Yong Hye-in to make her own decision rather than directly withdrawing her nomination, as direct intervention by the Blue House would have been burdensome. Accordingly, it appears that Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok gathered various opinions and conveyed them to Representative Yong Hye-in's side, leading to her resignation. This was a measure to alleviate the political burden caused by direct Blue House involvement.

Party leader Kim Min-seok, mentioning Representative Yong Hye-in, who resigned today, at the high-level party-government consultation, stated that he would accelerate solidarity with progressive forces and discussions on political reform. This is interpreted as an intention to dispel some concerns that progressive solidarity might weaken due to Representative Yong Hye-in's resignation. Representative Kim emphasized that this resignation would not negatively affect the solidarity of the progressive camp.

President Lee Jae-myung shared a post by Park Tae-hoon, a youth activist of the Progressive Party, stating that he has never given up on reform. This is interpreted as a statement confirming that there are no issues in the pan-progressive solidarity front with the other progressive parties, excluding the Jo Guk Party. The President and the party leader are alternately reconfirming the strength of this solidarity, solidifying the unity of the progressive camp.