Taxi Driver Assaulted by Vice Minister Lee Yong-gu "Accepted Settlement Offered Two Days Later"

Deputy Minister Sends 'Sorry' Message via Text Two Days After Incident
Later Apologizes and Offers Settlement Money at a Seoul Cafe

A taxi driver who was assaulted by Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu stated that he received an apology and a settlement offer from the deputy minister and agreed to the settlement. / Photo by Channel A Broadcast Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] A taxi driver who was assaulted by Vice Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu stated that "Vice Minister Lee apologized for the assault and offered a settlement payment, which I accepted."

According to a report by 'Channel A' on the 24th, taxi driver Mr. A received a text message from Vice Minister Lee on the 8th, two days after the assault incident on the 6th of last month, containing messages such as "Thank you for safely taking care of a drunk person," and "I made a mistake, but I am grateful and sorry that you did not retaliate."

It was reported that Mr. A met Vice Minister Lee at a cafe in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on the same day, two days after the incident. At this meeting, Vice Minister Lee asked Mr. A, "I am truly sorry, were you hurt?" When Mr. A replied that he was okay, Vice Minister Lee expressed relief, saying, "That's a great relief. I couldn't sleep because I was worried."

Lee Yong-gu, Deputy Minister of Justice, is attending the 1st Subcommittee on Bill Examination of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee related to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act held at the National Assembly on the 24th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Vice Minister Lee also apologized to Mr. A and offered a settlement payment. Mr. A stated, "After talking, I realized that this person (Vice Minister Lee) was sincere," and accepted the apology and received the proposed settlement payment.

Mr. A also explained the situation at the time of the assault. When Mr. A told Vice Minister Lee, "We have arrived at the destination," Vice Minister Lee suddenly cursed and grabbed Mr. A's collar with his right hand. When Mr. A said things like "It will be a big problem if you grab my collar," and "It's all being recorded (on camera)," Vice Minister Lee released his grip and quietly sat in the back seat.

According to Mr. A's explanation, the taxi's engine was running at the time.

Meanwhile, according to multiple media reports, Vice Minister Lee assaulted Mr. A, who was trying to wake him up while drunk in front of his apartment in Seocho-gu on the 6th of last month, but was not booked by the police.

At that time, the police closed the investigation after applying the criminal law assault charge, citing that Mr. A expressed that he did not want to press charges.

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