Rep. Yong Hye-in's Resignation, Basic Income Party Faces Existential Crisis

This is because doubts regarding whether the Basic Income Party currently meets the requirements for maintaining a political party under South Korea's Political Parties Act have not been resolved.

It has been argued that if these suspicions prove true, it could lead to the loss of Rep. Yong Hye-in's parliamentary seat and even render the future of the Basic Income Party uncertain. Moon Seong-ho stated, "Listening to Rep. Yong Hye-in's resignation statement, it struck me. The suspicion of whether the Basic Income Party meets the requirements for maintaining a political party as defined in our country has not been resolved." He emphasized that a thorough investigation by the government is needed to uncover the truth.

Kim Hye-ji also added remarks about the call for the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, expressing dissatisfaction with the overall current political system.

The requirements for establishing a political party include recruiting at least 1,000 members in each of five or more city/provincial branches. However, it has been reported that the Basic Income Party has registered addresses for provincial branches in places like farm animal sheds. Kim Hye-ji questioned, "For the Basic Income Party, for a political party to be maintained, it must first be established, and to do so, it needs to recruit at least 1,000 members in five or more city/provincial branches. But look at how they're operating their city/provincial branches now. Given that they've listed places like farm animal sheds as city/provincial branch addresses, are the 1,000+ members they supposedly recruited truly members, or are they phantom members?"

This has led to criticism regarding the sincerity of member recruitment and the potential for violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and fraud charges.

Kim Hye-ji explained the status of the complaints, stating, "Rep. Ju Jin-woo has filed a complaint, and the civic organization 'Committee for Measures Against People's Livelihood Difficulties' has also filed complaints. These include violations of the Political Parties Act, abuse of power, fraud, breach of trust, and violations of the Public Official Election Act."

This indicates that serious legal issues are being raised regarding the entire process of the Basic Income Party's establishment and operation.

Moon Seong-ho stated, "If this escalates, the Basic Income Party's own existence is at stake, I think. Haven't they siphoned off tens of billions of won from our taxes, from the public's taxes, right now?" raising suspicions of inappropriate use of state subsidies funded by taxpayers.

This suggests that if the Basic Income Party fails to meet party requirements, the issue of returning received state subsidies could also arise.

Moon Seong-ho recounted, "I went to the National Assembly today and saw that person. I was going to eat at the National Assembly cafeteria, and I saw someone familiar. So I looked, and they were walking with their gaze fixed on the ground," hinting at the chaotic atmosphere of the situation at the time.

Unlike previous political controversies, this incident has continuously been reported through media and broadcasting, fostering public consensus. Criticism is intensifying over Rep. Yong's attitude of not admitting her mistakes and blaming external factors.

Moon Seong-ho criticized, "It is a fact that this person became a member of the National Assembly without properly securing votes through proportional representation, and it is simply a fact that someone who did not receive a single vote from the public became a member of the National Assembly by abnormally using our country's semi-linked proportional representation system."

Additionally, further suspicions of party operations through state subsidies and salary payments between family members have been raised, intensifying the controversy over special treatment.

It was pointed out that Rep. Yong Hye-in's resignation process lacked the typical acknowledgment of wrongdoing and apology. Moon Seong-ho expressed regret over the manner of resignation, saying, "If she had said something like, 'I didn't realize how big of a mistake it was at the time, but hearing what the public is saying has made me think a lot. I've reflected on myself, and I feel that I am an inappropriate person, and not being a minister would be better for the public. I will accept this humbly with a contrite heart going forward.' If she had done that, it might have been different."

This appears to be a voluntary resignation to prevent Lee Jae-myung from withdrawing her nomination, and it is reported that even within the Democratic Party, there is bewilderment regarding the situation where the Democratic Party pressured Rep. Yong to step down.

An analysis suggests that far-left minor parties like the Basic Income Party face a reality where they cannot survive without the support of the Democratic Party. Moon Seong-ho commented, "Ultimately, minor parties, often referred to as far-left parties like the Basic Income Party, are not in a position to get anything to eat unless it's the 'honey' provided by the Democratic Party."

Rep. Yong Hye-in's actions have damaged the relationship of political trust with the Democratic Party, and it is predicted that the Democratic Party will be unlikely to appoint talent from that faction in the future.

Moon Seong-ho pointed out, "Logically, the Democratic Party pressured Yong Hye-in to step down, didn't they? So, is it just lip service because they feel sorry, or do they really think that way? But logically, it seems like lip service."

This leads to speculation that the Democratic Party might have made a perfunctory statement out of apology after pressuring Rep. Yong Hye-in to resign. It also suggests that the possibility of it being Rep. Kim Min-seok's personal intention cannot be ruled out.