On the 23rd, Kang Sun-woo, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who has faced criticism over allegations of ‘bullying staff’ and ‘retaliatory budget cuts,’ expressed her intention to resign. This comes a day before President Lee Jae-myung requested the National Assembly to resend the personnel confirmation report for Kang’s nomination. As a result, Kang became the first current lawmaker in history to withdraw her nomination among ministerial candidates from past administrations.
In the afternoon, Kang stated on social media, “I wanted to do my best by pouring everything into this, even though I felt lacking. However, it seems this is where it ends. I will accept the harsh criticism with gratitude and live in reflection.”
She added, “I apologize to the citizens who may have felt hurt because of me. I am also endlessly sorry to President Lee Jae-myung, who believed in me and gave me the opportunity. I have burdened our beloved Democratic Party, which stood in the rain with me.” She continued, “I will treasure the heartfelt support and care from everyone, even up to this moment. I am truly sorry.”
Kang, a two-term lawmaker from Gangseo-gu, became the center of controversy after allegations emerged that she directed her staff to clean her home bathroom and separate the trash. Additionally, there were claims that she excluded certain assistants from online chat rooms with her staff and slandered former aides to impede their job prospects.
Amid this, Jeong Young-ae, a former Minister of Gender Equality and Family and regarded as a ‘matriarch of the women’s movement,’ sparked public outrage by exposing Kang’s ‘budget abuse.’ Jeong, who was appointed during the Moon Jae-in administration, shared anecdotes related to Kang on social media on the 21st. It was alleged that when Kang demanded the minister resolve constituency complaints and it did not go as planned, she retaliated by cutting the department’s budget.
However, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea continued to support Kang up until the morning of that day. Kim Ji-ho, the party’s spokesperson, said on SBS radio, “(The Democratic Party) emphasizes nurturing young politicians quite strongly,” adding, “Considering all these factors, I hope she is given an opportunity.” He specifically expressed a desire to know whether the claims about Kang’s bullying of the minister regarding budget cuts were true.
Moon Jin-seok, the party’s floor leader, also appeared on CBS radio the day before, stating, “Lawmaker and staff are conceptually like family. It’s different in nature from typical workplace bullying,” adding, “There are staff members who voluntarily take on personal tasks.” This comment sparked further controversy, with other ruling party members, including Lee So-young, voicing objections by stating, “I cannot agree with that.”