Police File Charges Against Taxi Driver in 'Yonggu Lee Assault' Case... Suspected of Evidence Tampering Involvement

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 of last month.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] It has been confirmed that the police have booked a taxi driver who was assaulted by Vice Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu on charges of evidence tampering.

According to the police on the 2nd, the Joint Fact-Finding Investigation Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has booked taxi driver A on suspicion of involvement in evidence tampering and is currently investigating.

Vice Minister Lee is suspected of instructing the deletion of a black box video capturing the assault incident in November last year, thereby instigating evidence tampering. It is reported that A is suspected of deleting the video after receiving a settlement payment. The police have also booked three officials from the Seocho Police Station, including investigators involved in handling the assault case, on charges of special dereliction of duty.

Vice Minister Lee is accused of grabbing the collar of taxi driver A in front of his apartment in Seocho-gu on the night of November 6 last year while intoxicated after taking a taxi. The police did not book Vice Minister Lee at the time, citing the victim’s wish not to press charges, and closed the investigation on the 12th of the same month.

In response, the police formed a fact-finding investigation team at the end of January and have secured about 7,000 phone records and PC data from the investigation team and reporting line involved at the time, tracking the process of how the case was closed. To further verify the facts, they have also secured the PC of an information officer at Seocho Police Station and requested forensic analysis.

Vice Minister Lee announced his resignation on the 28th of last month, about six months after taking office.

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