The first preparatory trial for the criminal trial of former Vice Justice Lee Yong-gu, who was indicted without detention on charges of assaulting a drunk and driving taxi driver, will be held at the Seoul Central District Court on the 16th of next month.
Unlike the official trial, the trial preparation date can be held without the defendant present, so it is unclear whether former Vice Minister Lee will appear in person.
Former Deputy Minister Lee is accused of assaulting a taxi driver who tried to wake him up from a drunken night on the way home last November while working as a lawyer.
Immediately after the incident, former Vice Minister Lee agreed with the taxi driver and suggested that the black box video be deleted.
The police then closed the internal investigation by applying a simple assault charge rather than a driver assault charge under the Special Act, but after Lee took office, the case became known through media reports and a controversy arose.
Prosecutors who checked the black box video applied and handed over the charge of assaulting a driver under the Special Act to the former vice minister, and a police officer belonging to the Seocho Police Station, who was in charge of the case at the time, also indicted without detention on charges such as neglect of special duties under the Special Act.