Cheongju City Council member Choi Young-jung. [Yonhap]
Cheongju City Council member Choi Young-jung. [Yonhap]

Choi Young-jung, a Cheongju City Council member under police investigation on charges including the sexual exploitation of a minor, resigned Thursday — just one day after police launched a forced investigation and only 15 days after he took office on July 1, earning him the ignominy of the shortest tenure in the council's history.

According to the Cheongju City Council, Choi delivered his resignation letter to People Power Party floor leader Lee Sang-jo through an acquaintance at around 3 p.m. Thursday. Lee then submitted it to the council's administrative affairs team at around 5 p.m.

The letter stated: "I hereby wish to resign from my position as a council member due to personal circumstances."

Article 89 of the Local Autonomy Act stipulates that a local council may approve a member's resignation by vote, but that the council speaker may grant approval when the council is not in session.

Council Speaker Lim Eun-seong approved the resignation at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Choi was a first-term council member who won his seat as a People Power Party candidate in the June 3 local elections.

Earlier, police sent investigators to Choi's council office, his constituency office and his residence for about 45 minutes starting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, seizing computers, digital storage devices and other relevant materials.

Choi faces charges — including statutory rape under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse — for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a middle school student, identified only as A, two or three times between October 2024 and May last year, in a vehicle and at a motel, and for producing sexual exploitation material.

A was under 13 years of age at the time. Under current law, engaging in sexual intercourse with a child or adolescent under the age of 16 is punishable regardless of consent or the use of force.

The ethics committee of the People Power Party's North Chungcheong Province chapter voted Wednesday to expel Choi under party rules, citing serious damage to the moral standards and dignity expected of a public official.

With Choi's departure, the council's total membership fell from 45 to 44 seats. The People Power Party's share dropped by one seat to 17, while the Democratic Party of Korea retains 27 seats.

If the speaker notifies the provincial election commission within 15 days, a by-election will be held next April.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com