Police Chief Kim Chang-ryong: "No Reports to Police Agency or Blue House on Lee Yong-gu Case" (Comprehensive)

Police Actively Clarify 'Favoritism Allegations'
"No Violations Found in Regulations or Guidelines"

Lee Yong-gu, Deputy Minister of Justice. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been confirmed that the taxi driver assault case involving Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu, which was closed as a preliminary investigation by the police, was not reported to the Blue House, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, or the National Police Agency, which are higher authorities.

On the 28th, Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong stated in a written press briefing, "This case was closed as a preliminary investigation on the 12th of last month and was not reported to the Seoul Police Agency or the National Police Agency at the time, nor was it reported to the Blue House."

At the time of the incident, Deputy Minister Lee was a lawyer, but he had also served in public office, including as the head of the Legal Affairs Office at the Ministry of Justice from August 2017 to May of this year. Even considering that the police closed the case as a preliminary investigation, the lack of a separate report remains questionable. Furthermore, regarding plans for reinvestigation, Commissioner Kim refrained from commenting, saying, "It is currently under investigation by the prosecution following a complaint, so it is not appropriate to comment."

According to the police, the report of Deputy Minister Lee's assault on the taxi driver was received around 11:30 p.m. on the 6th of last month. Immediately after the incident, the taxi driver submitted photos of the neck area, but on the morning of the 9th, three days later, the driver submitted a letter of no desire for punishment to the investigating officer, and on the 12th, the police applied the offense of assault, which is a crime that cannot be prosecuted without the victim's consent, and closed the case as a preliminary investigation.

Commissioner Kim explained the reason and appropriateness of the preliminary investigation closure, saying, "The Seocho Police Station reviewed the scene, the victim's statement, and relevant precedents and applied the charge of assault. After the incident report, the victim's intention not to seek punishment was confirmed before the case was formally registered, so it was closed as a case without prosecutorial rights."

When asked about an internal investigation, he replied, "No disciplinary investigation is being conducted regarding this case."

Regarding concerns that this case raises about the police's authority to close investigations, Commissioner Kim said, "The amended Criminal Procedure Act provides several mechanisms for parties involved in the case and prosecutors to control police investigations, such as objections and requests for reinvestigation," adding, "We will strive to strengthen management of police-closed cases through legislative reforms on investigative authority and the establishment of internal and external control mechanisms."

The police also actively clarified suspicions raised so far. First, they emphasized that there was no problem in the process of closing the preliminary investigation. A police official explained, "The Seocho Police Station received the incident report and investigated the case by judging the location, time, victim's statement, and intention regarding punishment, and we believe there was no violation of regulations or guidelines in closing the case."

In particular, in response to criticism that since there was a victim's statement early in the incident, Deputy Minister Lee should have been registered as a suspect first and then sent with a 'no prosecutorial rights' disposition, the police rebutted, "If a crime is confirmed, the suspect is registered and investigation begins, but mechanically registering a case just because a 112 call was made would cause great harm to the public. We determine whether there is a crime, and if confirmed, register the case. In this case, there was no direct evidence to verify the facts."

There was also an explanation that no lenient investigation was conducted on Deputy Minister Lee. Regarding the fact that Deputy Minister Lee did not attend police questioning, a police official said, "We contacted him on the 7th asking him to appear on November 9th, but he replied that it was difficult to attend." Since the victim had expressed no desire for punishment and there is no regulation requiring the suspect to be questioned before closing a preliminary investigation, closing the case without questioning the suspect is not problematic. Regarding notifying Deputy Minister Lee of the preliminary investigation closure, the official explained, "He was notified on the 16th of last month through the system. Although there is no notification regulation in the preliminary investigation handling rules, nowadays notifications are generally given not only to suspects but also to victims and parties involved in the case."

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