Photo : YONHAP News President Moon Jae-in nominated a former judge as the new vice justice minister, following previous Vice Minister Lee Yong-gu s resignation amid controversy over his assault of a taxi driver prior to his appointment.
According to the presidential office on Tuesday, Kang Sung-kook, the head of the Justice Ministry s legal affairs bureau, was named to fill the vacancy. Kang s term will begin on Wednesday.
Kang, who served as a judge for 21 years, practiced private law after joining a firm in 2015. Former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae appointed him to the ministry last year.
In line with the Moon administration s philosophy of appointing figures from outside the prosecution to senior posts, Kang is the second non-prosecutor to be assigned to the position after his predecessor Lee, who is also a former judge.
Moon taps former judge as vice justice minister koreatimes.co.kr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from koreatimes.co.kr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.