1st-term Cheongju council member under police probe over alleged sex crimes involving minor

A first-term city council member in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, is under police investigation for allegedly paying to have sex with a minor and producing sexually exploitative material, leaving the council reeling just weeks after the newly elected body began its term.

According to police, Thursday, investigators raided the office and home of a Cheongju City Council member from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), identified only by his surname Choi, at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The search lasted about 45 minutes, during which investigators seized computers, digital storage devices and other potential evidence.

The search warrant cited alleged violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses, including statutory rape of a person under the age of consent and producing material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Police said Choi allegedly met a middle school girl through a chat application, had sexual intercourse with her on two or three occasions in a vehicle and at motels between October 2024 and May 2025, and created explicit ...