Democratic Party, What Is the Background Behind Recommending Ministerial Candidate Yong Hye-in to Resign Voluntarily

It appears that the criticism surrounding Youn Hyein, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, over her history as a proportional representative for a satellite party and her intention to concurrently hold a ministerial post played a major role in her voluntary resignation on the 13th. It was reported that the ruling bloc moved to contain the situation as the controversy was also weighing on the approval ratings for state affairs. Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Taeseon said he met with nominee Youn the previous day, conveyed concerns from both inside and outside the party, and recommended that she step down. Party leadership is said to have concluded that it was no longer possible to defend her after Youn held a press conference on the 10th without prior consultation to push back against the controversy and reaffirm her intention to hold both positions. Within the party, there were opinions that this was not something that needed to be explained at the confirmation hearing, and the spread of criticism, especially among younger people, that it was unfair also appears to have influenced the decision to resign. Some also pointed out that the controversy is a backlash stemming from the practice of satellite parties by the two major parties.