Prosecutors indict former Cheongju city councilman on child sex crime charges

Prosecutors have indicted former Cheongju city councilman Choi Young-jung, who is in detention, on charges including child sex trafficking.

The first criminal division of the Cheongju District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday it had indicted Choi on charges including statutory rape and violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth from Sexual Abuse — covering habitual production and distribution of sexual exploitation material, purchase of sex from a minor, and grooming through sexually exploitative conversation.

Choi is accused of demanding that four minors between the ages of 13 and 18 — including a middle school student identified as A — send him photos of their bodies on eight separate occasions between July 2024 and January this year, after meeting them through a chat app. He is also charged with receiving such photos from some of the victims and sharing them in a group chat with acquaintances.

He faces additional charges of having sexual intercourse with three of the minors, including A, on four occasions. Investigators found that Choi offered A an allowance in exchange for sex and provided money to the other two victims. He also allegedly proposed to A that he would pay more if she brought a friend or an older female acquaintance, sent her videos of himself having sex with another woman, and messaged her suggesting they engage in sexual activity with a woman of a different nationality.

Choi acknowledged having sex with the victims during the investigation but claimed he did not know they were minors. Prosecutors rejected that defense, concluding he was aware of their ages based on the fact that he met the victims near their school, that they were wearing school uniforms at the time, and on KakaoTalk chat records.