Cheongju City Councilor Choi Youngjoong Voluntarily Resigns Amid Charges of Prostitution with a Minor

Resigned After Just 15 Days in Office
Resignation Approved by Cheongju City Council Chairperson

Choi Youngjoong, a member of the Cheongju City Council who is under police investigation for charges including prostitution with a minor, resigned from his council seat on July 16, 2026.

Police conducted a search of the office of Councilman Youngjoong Choi of Cheongju City on the 15th in connection with prostitution charges. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to the Cheongju City Council and related sources, Councilor Choi submitted a resignation letter to Lee Sangjo, the floor leader of the People Power Party, in the afternoon of the same day, stating that he was resigning from his post for "personal reasons." Floor leader Lee submitted the resignation letter to the City Council Secretariat at around 5 p.m.

In accordance with Article 89 of the Local Government Act, a resignation by a local council member must be approved by a resolution of the local council. However, as the council is not in session, the resignation must go through the chairperson's approval process in order to be finalized.

Im Eunsung, the chairperson of the Cheongju City Council, processed the resignation at around 6 p.m. that same day. Councilor Choi resigned only 15 days after beginning his term.

Councilor Choi was a first-term member who entered the city council as a People Power Party candidate in the June 3 local elections. On July 15, the North Chungcheong Province branch of the People Power Party held an ethics committee meeting and expelled Councilor Choi from the party.

Previously, on July 15, police conducted a search and seizure of Councilor Choi's office and residence and secured relevant materials such as his cell phone, computer, and digital storage devices. At the end of May, during police questioning, Councilor Choi admitted to having had sexual intercourse but stated that he did not know the victim was a minor.

Councilor Choi is facing charges of having sexual intercourse with a middle school student he met through a chat app on two or three occasions between October 2024 and May of last year, and for producing sexually exploitative material, in violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (statutory rape of a minor, among other charges).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.