SEOUL, Aug. Former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu was given a suspended prison term on Thursday for assaulting a taxi driver and attempting to destroy evidence.
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Lee to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for assaulting the driver in November 2020. Lee, who was appointed as a vice justice minister in December 2020 under the previous administration, resigned six months later.
Lee was indicted on charges of insulting the driver and grabbing him by the collar in an intoxicated state when the driver tried to wake him up after arriving at his home.
Lee was also charged with demanding the taxi driver delete the footage from his dashboard camera, and handing over 10 million won (US$7,500) afterward.
“The nature of his crime is not light as he assaulted the driver just because he was drunk, which has the possibility of causing danger to a third party by causing another traffic accident,” the court said.
The court also said Lee — who was a lawyer at that time — abetted to destroy evidence in an aim to avoid criminal punishment or to get a reduced prison term.
Source: Yonhap News Agency