With the election of Chen Shui-bian to the presidency, she says she feels that the DPP's transitional mission has been accomplished. However, at the repeated invitation of both President Chen and Premier Tang Fei to "write history for Taiwanese democracy," Yeh was moved by their sense of mission and accepted the appointment as new Minister of Transportation and Communications.
她說，陳水扁當選總統後，她覺得民進黨的階段性任務已經完成，但陳水扁總統和唐飛院長一再邀請她「同為台灣民主寫歷史」，這樣的使命感打動她，才答應出任交通部長。