[Edaily Chae Na-yeon Reporter] Yong Hye-in, a member of the Basic Income Party nominated as Minister of Gender Equality and Family, has been reported to the police for using an airport VIP lounge during a family trip in the past, among other reasons.

On the 2nd, the Committee for the Protection of the People’s Livelihood (CPL), a civic group, announced that it had filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Rep. Yong on charges of abuse of authority and violation of the Public Official Election Act.

According to the Committee, Rep. Yong used the VIP lounge at Gimpo Airport with her family before departing for a trip to Jeju Island on March 9, 2023.

The Committee took issue with the fact that, under the Korea Airports Corporation’s regulations governing VIP lounge operations, the lounge may only be used while performing official duties, and the parents of eligible users are not included in the list of authorized users. Based on this, the Committee argues that his use of the VIP lounge at that time constituted an abuse of authority.

When the incident came to light and sparked controversy, Representative Yong issued a statement apologizing. He explained that he had applied to the Korea Airports Corporation to use the VIP lounge for “non-official purposes,” received approval from the corporation, and used the lounge with his family for about 30 minutes.

He later stated that, after being notified by the Airport Corporation that there had been an error in the approval process, he paid the usage fee in the same manner as general passengers.

He explained, “Regardless of the circumstances, it was my oversight that I was not thorough enough,” adding, “Since I followed the procedures outlined by the corporation and received approval for use, I never dreamed there could be a problem with the process.”

This complaint also included a social media video posted by Representative Yong ahead of the June 3 local elections.

The Committee on the Rights of the People took issue with the fact that Rep. Yong filmed a video in front of the campaign office of Park Eun-young, a Basic Income Party candidate in Gwangju’s Gwangsan District, last May while wearing clothing bearing the party’s name, and subsequently posted it on social media.

The Committee argued that, under the Public Official Election Act, individuals other than candidates are prohibited from wearing clothing bearing the name of a political party from 120 days before election day until election day, and asserted that an investigation is necessary to determine whether this act constitutes a violation of the law.

Representative Yong has currently been nominated as Minister of Gender Equality and Family and is preparing for his confirmation hearing.