Yong Hye-in Appointed Her Husband Secretary-General Three Days After Founding Party... Controversy Over a “Couple’s Party” and “Meeting of Just the Two”

[Financial News] It has been confirmed that Yong Hye-in, a Basic Income Party lawmaker nominated as Minister of Gender Equality and Family, appointed her husband, Park Ki-hong, as Secretary-General shortly after the Basic Income Party was founded. Only Yong and Park reportedly attended the relevant meeting at the time, but the Basic Income Party said the matter had been discussed within the party.
On the 2nd, Chosun Ilbo and Newsis reported, citing the office of Cho Ji-yeon, a People Power Party lawmaker, that Yong appointed her husband Park as Secretary-General at the First Standing Committee meeting held on January 22, 2020—three days after January 19, the founding date of the Basic Income Party.
The minutes of the meeting published on the Basic Income Party’s website listed only Yong, who was then the party’s Standing Representative Director, as an attendee. Park was the sole person listed as an observer.
Under the Basic Income Party’s constitution, the Standing Representative Director appoints the Secretary-General, subject to ratification by the National Operating Committee. Accordingly, Park’s appointment as Secretary-General was ratified at the First National Operating Committee meeting on February 1 of the same year. The meeting was attended by nine people in total, including committee members from seven regions—Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daejeon, North Chungcheong, Daegu, Gwangju and North Jeolla—as well as Yong and Park. Five people observed the meeting.
Cho’s office assessed, “It would not have been easy for the regional committee members to oppose the decision of Yong, the party’s first Standing Representative Director.”
The Secretary-General assists the representative, oversees the work of the secretariat and manages the party’s finances, including submitting budget proposals and settlement reports.
Yong resigned as Standing Representative Director in March 2020 to run as a proportional-representation candidate for the Platform Party, a proportional electoral alliance party. As a result, Park also served as acting Standing Representative Director just over two months after being appointed Secretary-General. He later held positions including director of strategic planning and director of planning and coordination. He is currently serving as Deputy Secretary-General for Strategic Planning and is reportedly running for a seat on the Supreme Council.
According to the Basic Income Party’s financial reports submitted by the National Election Commission (NEC) to Cho’s office, Park received a monthly salary of around 3 million won from the party this year.
In response, the Basic Income Party issued a statement saying, “The First Standing Committee meeting was the first meeting held immediately after the party’s founding, and the appointment process for the Secretary-General proceeded after discussions within the party.” It added, “The appointment was ultimately ratified by the National Operating Committee, which was the party’s decision-making body at the time, in accordance with the party constitution.”
The party continued, “In accordance with the party constitution, the Standing Representative Director and Secretary-General attended from the Second Standing Committee meeting onward, while some national committee members responsible for regional areas observed.” It emphasized, “Before Yong Hye-in, then the Standing Representative Director, resigned to run in the 21st National Assembly election, the Standing Committee met nine times in total, while the National Operating Committee also met three times, following democratic decision-making procedures within the party.”
It added, “The meeting results were disclosed to all party members, and the Secretary-General at the time was an appointment ratified by the National Operating Committee.” The party also said, “We regret reports that insulted all of the party’s decisions during its early days by calling them a ‘couple’s meeting’ simply because the Secretary-General at the time was the spouse of nominee Yong.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter