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.