'Taxi Driver Assault' Lee Yong-gu Sentencing on 25th... Prosecution Seeks 1-Year Prison Term

Former Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu, who was indicted on charges of assaulting a taxi driver while driving under the influence of alcohol
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The first trial verdict for former Deputy Minister of Justice Lee Yong-gu, who was prosecuted for assaulting a taxi driver while intoxicated, will be announced on the 25th.

At 2 p.m. on the 25th, the Criminal Division 32-2 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Cho Seung-woo, Bang Yoon-seop, Kim Hyun-soon) will hold the sentencing hearing for former Deputy Minister Lee and others, who were indicted on charges including assaulting a driver under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and instructing evidence destruction.

During the previous closing arguments, the prosecution requested the court to sentence former Deputy Minister Lee to one year in prison. For former Seocho Police Station officer A, who closed the investigation despite reviewing the black box footage immediately after the incident, the prosecution sought one year and six months in prison on charges including dereliction of duty.

Former Deputy Minister Lee admitted to assaulting the taxi driver but appealed for consideration of his impaired mental and physical state due to intoxication at the time. He claimed innocence regarding the charge of instructing evidence destruction.

Earlier, former Deputy Minister Lee was prosecuted for assaulting a taxi driver near his residence in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the night of November 6, 2020, by grabbing and pushing the driver who was trying to wake him while he was intoxicated. He was also indicted for instructing evidence destruction by requesting the taxi driver to delete the black box video footage capturing the assault immediately after the incident.

This case involved assaulting a driver while operating a vehicle, but controversy arose because the police did not apply the charge of assaulting a driver under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The victim expressed a desire not to press charges, and the police applied the assault charge under the Criminal Act, which is a crime requiring the victim's complaint, leading to the case being closed as an internal investigation.

After the appointment to the deputy minister position at the end of 2020, a reinvestigation began following a complaint filed by civic groups, raising suspicions that the police attempted to cover up the case despite reviewing part of the black box footage. Former Deputy Minister Lee resigned from his position after the reinvestigation started.

The prosecution indicted former Deputy Minister Kim without detention on charges of assaulting a driver under the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, rather than assault under the Criminal Act.

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