People Power Party: "Lee Yong-gu's Cover-up of 'Taxi Driver Assault Incident' Is Police Neglect of Duty"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Members of the People Power Party's Public Administration and Security Committee criticized the police for neglecting their duties by closing the investigation into Vice Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu's 'taxi driver assault case' without further action.

On the 21st, People Power Party lawmakers stated in a press release, "The police hastily closed the investigation into the incident last month in which Vice Minister Lee, intoxicated, grabbed the collar of a taxi driver who woke him up while he was asleep in the taxi and verbally abused him."

They added, "The police have explained to the public, who raised suspicions and criticism about the handling of this case, that the vice minister's charges correspond to a simple assault case, and since the victim did not wish to press charges, the investigation was closed under the 'non-prosecution by victim's consent' principle." They emphasized, "They cited the 2008 Supreme Court precedent and the 2015 Constitutional Court decision as grounds for their stance, directly refuting the criticisms."

However, the People Power Party lawmakers pointed out, "According to Article 5-10 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, 'Anyone who assaults or threatens a driver of a vehicle in operation shall be punished by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 20 million won.' Unlike simple assault cases under the Criminal Act, this law does not apply the 'non-prosecution by victim's consent' principle."

The lawmakers stated, "In short, the police are misleading the public by citing precedents from before this law was enacted to grant impunity to the Vice Minister of Justice's investigation," and raised their voices, saying, "The police must immediately identify who instructed the cover-up of the taxi driver assault case involving a key figure in the Moon Jae-in administration's legal circles and those involved in suppressing the case, and punish them severely according to law and principles."

They also criticized National Police Agency Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong's ideologically biased law enforcement, stating, "If the police chief truly cares about the nation and the safety of the people, he should stake his position and conduct a proper investigation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.