Gender Minister nominee Yong Hye-in on Thursday reiterated her intention to retain her National Assembly seat, stressing that lawmakers are allowed to concurrently serve as Cabinet members by law. The remarks came amid growing calls for Yong to give up her parliamentary seat after she earlier said she would keep her seat even after joining the Cabinet. "The law allows lawmakers to concurrently serve as Cabinet members," she said during a press conference at the National Assembly. Under current law, lawmakers can double as members of the Cabinet, though proportional representatives have customarily given up their parliamentary seats to join the Cabinet, passing on the post to the next candidate in line on the proportional representation list. Yong, who is currently the sole lawmaker of the minor Basic Income Party, earlier said she would keep her Assembly seat even if she becomes the minister, noting that her party would become a non-parliamentary party should she resign as lawmaker. "It is difficult to simply apply past convention to my case, as I am the first sitting opposition lawmaker