On August 30, 2026, the Presidential Office nominated Basic Income Party lawmaker Yong Hye-in as a candidate for Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, drawing attention to whether she can retain her parliamentary seat after becoming a minister. However, this announcement is a nomination, not confirmation of her appointment as minister.

Key Changes

Reports said that Yong Hye-in and the Basic Income Party are considering a policy of retaining her parliamentary seat even if she is appointed minister. The issue concerns whether a member of the National Assembly may concurrently serve as a member of the State Council.

Article 29 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that lawmakers may not concurrently hold positions other than those of Prime Minister or member of the State Council, while treating a State Council position as an exception to the ban on holding multiple offices. Accordingly, the legal basis for a lawmaker concurrently serving as a member of the State Council has been raised as an issue, but whether the seat is actually retained may depend on subsequent procedures and the parties’ positions.

What has currently been confirmed is the ‘nomination as a ministerial candidate’ and the ‘consideration of a plan to retain the parliamentary seat.’ This does not mean that the ministerial appointment has been finalized.

Current Status

Following the Presidential Office’s announcement, Yong Hye-in is a candidate for Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The confirmation hearing and subsequent appointment procedures must be verified separately.

Meanwhile, claims circulating online about ‘Yong Hye-in’s husband,’ including his identity, occupation, and salary, were not sufficiently verified as official facts within the scope of this review. No material was found that would support definitively attributing the reason for retaining the parliamentary seat to information about her spouse.

Impact

Reports said that if Yong Hye-in resigns from her proportional-representation seat, the Basic Income Party would become a party without representation in the National Assembly, and the next candidate on the proportional-representation list could succeed to the seat. It was also reported that if she resigns, the proportional-representation seat could be inherited by Ko Jae-soon, former secretary-general of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.

In summary, the currently identifiable potential impacts are as follows.

  1. If she retains her seat, the Basic Income Party may continue to have an incumbent lawmaker.
  2. If she resigns, the Basic Income Party may transition into a party without representation in the National Assembly.
  3. If she resigns, the succession procedure for the next proportional-representation candidate may proceed.

What to Check Next

Going forward, it will be necessary to verify whether the confirmation hearing proceeds, whether the appointment process is completed, and how Yong Hye-in’s position on retaining her parliamentary seat is ultimately resolved. At this stage, the only points that can be stated definitively are the Presidential Office’s nomination and the consideration of a plan to retain the parliamentary seat.

This article was compiled based on materials from the research package verified through 08:55:12 on August 31, 2026.

Sources:

  • [Presidential Office briefing on the personnel announcement](https://www.president.go.kr/briefings/qGTHgnQ8)
  • [Korea Economic Daily report](https://www.hankyung.com/article/202608301811i)
  • [Donga Ilbo report](https://www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20260830/134571705/1)
  • [National Assembly Act, Article 29, Korean Law Information Center](https://law.go.kr/LSW/lsLinkCommonInfo.do?chrClsCd=010202&lsJoLnkSeq=1024573793)