Yong-gu Lee Case Concludes "No Solicitation or External Pressure"... Investigating Officer, Yong-gu Lee, and Taxi Driver Referred to Prosecution (Comprehensive)

Police Announce Investigation Results on Alleged Negligence in Lee Yong-gu Case
Lead Investigator Referred to Prosecution... Team Leader and Manager Sent to Investigation Review Committee
Former Vice Minister Lee and Taxi Driver Also Referred to Prosecution on Charges of Evidence Tampering and Instigation
Investigation Team: "Analyzed Over 8,000 Call Records but Found No Signs of External Pressure"

On the 9th, Kang Il-gu, head of the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit, announced the results of the fact-finding investigation regarding the assault incident involving former Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu and a taxi driver at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Naejadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Lee Jung-yoon] Regarding the allegations of a botched investigation surrounding the assault incident involving former Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu and a taxi driver, the police have decided to refer the investigator from Seocho Police Station who was in charge of the case at the time to the prosecution on charges of dereliction of duty. The direct superiors, the head of the criminal team and the chief of the criminal division, will be referred to the Police Investigation Review Committee as the charges against them are not clear. The police have concluded that there was no improper solicitation or external pressure involved.

The Joint Fact-Finding Investigation Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency held a briefing at the Jongno-gu government building in Seoul on the morning of the 9th to announce the results of the investigation into the botched investigation allegations related to the assault incident involving former Deputy Minister Lee. The police plan to refer Investigator A, who was in charge of the case, to the prosecution on charges of dereliction of duty and also to apply charges of instructing evidence destruction against former Deputy Minister Lee. Taxi driver B will also be referred to the prosecution on charges of evidence destruction, but considering that he was the victim of the assault and that his actions were at the request of the perpetrator, this will be taken into account as a mitigating factor.

The investigation team explained, "We investigated 91 people including former Deputy Minister Lee and the taxi driver, conducted digital forensic work on 12 mobile phones, 17 PCs, and CCTV footage from Seocho Police Station," adding, "We also secured and analyzed call records of the subjects under investigation, utilizing all possible methods to uncover the truth."

The team found that Investigator A watched the black box footage showing the assault scene involving former Deputy Minister Lee on November 11 last year, five days after the incident, but failed to report it. They also found that the direct superiors, the team leader and the chief, bear some responsibility. The Seocho Police Station chief, along with the team leader and chief, failed to report the case despite it being a reportable incident under the Police Training Crime Investigation Regulations, violating their reporting duties. They will be held accountable for negligence in supervision and command regarding case handling, and an internal investigation will be initiated. A police official stated, "It has been clearly confirmed that Investigator A did not take appropriate action despite viewing the black box footage, so he will be referred to the prosecution," adding, "The team leader and chief were unaware of the existence of the black box footage, so their charges are unclear, and they will be referred to the review committee." The Seocho Police Station chief, who is the overall person responsible, was questioned as a witness but was not criminally charged as there was no evidence of ignoring the case.

The investigation team judged that Investigator A, the team leader, and the chief knew at the time that former Deputy Minister Lee was being considered as a candidate for the first head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office. However, a false report stating he was "just an ordinary lawyer" was made to higher-ups. The police will also conduct an internal investigation regarding this matter.

On the 9th, Kang Il-gu, head of the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit, announced the results of the fact-finding investigation regarding the assault on a taxi driver by former Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Naejadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

The investigation team confirmed that a staff member from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Public Safety Division received information about the case from Inspector C of the Seocho Police Station’s Public Safety Division but did not report it to superiors. However, it was concluded that the Criminal Division of Seocho Police Station, which handled the case, never reported this information to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Investigation Department. The police explained, "The report at the time was a form of information sharing and opinion exchange between the persons in charge," adding, "Discussions among field officers cannot be considered as official reports to higher authorities, and no report document was created."

To investigate whether there was any improper external pressure or solicitation during the handling of the case, the team examined mobile phones, office PCs, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. They analyzed about 8,000 call records from November 6 to December 31 of last year involving former Deputy Minister Lee, the Seocho Police Station chief, and other related persons. They then selected 57 possible recipients for further investigation but found no such evidence. It was also confirmed that former Deputy Minister Lee had no call records with current or former police officers, the Seocho Police Station chief, or the case investigators. The police stated, "Based on Lee’s call records, we confirmed that he had no direct calls with the police except for prior scheduling with the investigators," adding, "We also thoroughly checked the reasons for calls, relationships, and involvement in the case for others, but all denied exerting external pressure or solicitation." However, they did not disclose the specific identities of these individuals.

On November 6 last year, former Deputy Minister Lee assaulted a taxi driver who was trying to wake him up in front of his apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul, while intoxicated. However, the police closed the case as an internal investigation by applying assault charges under the Criminal Act rather than the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, citing the absence of black box footage proving Lee’s crime and the fact that he had reached an agreement with the taxi driver. After it became known that the investigator in charge had seen the black box footage at the time but ignored it, allegations of leniency intensified. The suspicion grew stronger when it was revealed that the police were aware at the time that Lee was being considered as the first head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office. The police formed a fact-finding investigation team and conducted investigations and inquiries for about five months starting in January. Former Deputy Minister Lee resigned on the 28th of last month, six months after his appointment.

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