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Posted : 2021-06-03 16:49
Updated : 2021-06-03 16:51
Former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu appears to attack a taxi driver, in this Nov. 6 footage from a dashcam inside the taxi, recently obtained by local broadcaster SBS. Screenshot from SBS News
By Jung Da-min
Former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu, who has been embroiled in controversy since his appointment over his alleged assault of a taxi driver, has again been caught up in another accusation, that he tried to cover up the assault by paying the driver off.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has found that Lee paid the driver 10 million won ($8,991) to ask him to delete a video recorded by the dashcam of the taxi, according to media reports, Wednesday.
Posted : 2021-05-30 09:53
Former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu / Yonhap
Former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu was questioned by police Sunday over allegations that he pressured a taxi driver he assaulted to destroy related evidence and went unpunished.
Lee appeared at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in central Seoul to undergo questioning for the November case where Lee allegedly hurled insults at the driver and grabbed him by the collar in an intoxicated state when the man tried to wake him up after arriving at his home.
Police were called to the scene and let Lee go home after confirming his identity. But they later closed the case without booking Lee, as the taxi driver did not want him punished.
Unqualified to uphold law
Justice minister nominee, vice minister hit for misbehavior
Monday s confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Park Beom-kye failed to clear up suspicions against him but rather confirmed that the three-term lawmaker had many reasons to be disqualified. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) defended him, stating, There were no serious problems. Yet it s doubtful that he is qualified to lead the Ministry of Justice, given the extent of unresolved suspicions surrounding him.
Above all things, the nominee was indicted a year ago on charges of assaulting opposition party officials during a scuffle in April 2019 when opposition lawmakers occupied parliamentary committee meeting rooms to physically stop the DPK from fast-tracking electoral and prosecutorial reform bills. If named officially, Park will become the first justice minister ever to stand trial as a defendant.