▲ Former Cheongju City Councilman Choi Yeong-jung leaves the Cheongju District Court after a pre-trial detention hearing on the afternoon of the 30th and boards a transport vehicle.
Former Cheongju City Councilman Choi Yeong-jung, who faces allegations of purchasing prostitution involving a middle school girl, was arrested today (the 30th).
The Cheongju District Court issued an arrest warrant for the former councilman after conducting a pre-trial detention hearing, citing concerns over the destruction of evidence.
Choi is accused of having sexual relations with a middle school student on three occasions over a one-year period starting in October 2024, in vehicles and motels, and demanding that she take and send nude photos of herself.
He is also facing charges of making sexually explicit remarks to the victim—such as offering her more money if she brought her friends or an older sister, showing her a video of himself having sexual relations with another woman, and sending messages that allegedly hinted at proposing a group sexual encounter with a woman of a different nationality.
Furthermore, he is suspected of destroying evidence, having changed his mobile phone while under investigation and having deleted some data from a private forensic report that he voluntarily submitted following a police search and seizure.
During police questioning, Choi had denied the allegations, stating, "I did have sexual relations, but I did not know she was a minor."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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