Two more victims found in child sex-buying case against ex-Cheongju lawmaker Choi Young-jung

Two additional victims have been identified in the child sex-buying case against Choi Young-jung, a former Cheongju city council member currently in detention, bringing the total number of known victims to four.

The Cheongju Cheongwon Police Station forwarded the case to prosecutors Monday after detecting evidence of additional offenses by Choi, according to Yonhap and other media outlets.

Police found the two additional victims — both minors — while reviewing Choi's communications records as part of an expanded investigation, sources said. The new findings raise the total number of minor victims in the case to four.

A police official declined to provide details, saying the matter remains under active investigation.

Prosecutors plan to indict Choi on Tuesday — the day his detention period expires — after conducting supplementary investigation based on the case files.

Choi faces charges of having sexual intercourse with a middle school student on three occasions over roughly a year beginning in October 2024, in vehicles and at motels, and of demanding that she send him nude photographs.

He is also accused of offering the victim money to bring along a friend or an older sister, sending her videos of himself having sex with another woman, and messaging her with suggestions that they engage in sexual activity with a woman of a different nationality.

Choi faces additional charges of receiving intimate photographs from another minor around the same period.

Choi has denied the charges, saying he did have sexual relations with the person but was unaware she was a minor, according to reports.