'Taxi Driver Assault' Lee Yong-gu Investigated for 18 Hours and Returns Home at Dawn (Comprehensive)

After being summoned for investigation on charges including instructing evidence destruction following the 'taxi driver assault' incident, Lee Yong-gu, Deputy Minister of Justice, is leaving the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in the early morning of the 31st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Lee Yong-gu, the Deputy Minister of Justice, who is suspected of assaulting a taxi driver and attempting to cover up the evidence, underwent a lengthy investigation lasting over 18 hours, six months after the incident occurred.

Deputy Minister Lee appeared at the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 8 a.m. the previous day, completed the investigation regarding charges of instructing evidence destruction, and returned home around 3:20 a.m. on the 31st. He left the building in a black Mercedes-Benz sedan without responding to reporters' questions.

After serving as the Planning and Coordination Office Director at the Ministry of Justice, Lee was reported to the police last November 6 for assaulting taxi driver Mr. A by grabbing his collar just before getting off the taxi while intoxicated. This occurred about three weeks before Lee was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice. He is also suspected of requesting the deletion of the black box video while reaching a settlement with the taxi driver.

The police applied assault charges, which fall under non-prosecution upon victim's withdrawal, instead of the aggravated punishment under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes for assaulting a driver while driving. The case was closed as the victim did not wish to press charges. However, in January this year, taxi driver Mr. A revealed that although he showed the black box video recorded on his mobile phone to the police, the officer in charge said on November 11, five days after the incident, that "the video will be considered unseen," raising suspicions that the police may have favored Lee. At the time, the police claimed they only knew Lee was a lawyer.

The police formed a fact-finding investigation team in January this year and have been investigating the allegations by analyzing call records of those involved in the investigation. They obtained Deputy Minister Lee’s mobile phone for forensic analysis and secured related data and call contents for review. They have been investigating whether there was any involvement from higher-ups in the dismissal of the black box video. The assault allegations against Lee are currently under investigation by the Criminal Division 5 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which summoned Lee as a suspect for questioning on the 22nd.

Recently, there have been indications that officials from the Seocho Police Station, which handled the case, had prior knowledge of Lee’s background and attempted to cover up the incident. While Seocho Police officials have claimed they only knew Lee was a lawyer during the investigation, it was recently revealed that senior officials at Seocho Police Station were aware that Lee was one of the initial candidates for the first head of the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office. On the 28th, Lee expressed his intention to resign, stating "a new worker is needed." This comes about six months after his appointment as Deputy Minister in December last year.

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