Former Cheongju City Council member Choi Yeong-jung, who was booked on charges including child prostitution, was found to have received 16 days of council pay.
According to the Cheongju City Council on the 23rd, the council paid about 2 million won in council pay to the former member Choi on the 20th. This is the salary corresponding to the 16 days of the term from election to resignation.
The former member Choi, who took office on the 1st as a 4th-term Cheongju City Council member, resigned on the 16th of last month after it emerged that police are currently investigating Choi on suspicion of child prostitution.
An official of the Cheongju City Council said, "In accordance with the local government ordinance on paying council activity expenses, we paid the activity allowance and the monthly fixed allowance as a matter of principle."
The city council pay consists of an activity allowance paid to reimburse the expense of collecting and researching legislative materials and supporting activities, and a monthly fixed allowance of a base-salary nature. It was reported that, under the relevant local government ordinance that says "if a member is in custody after indictment, the activity allowance, monthly fixed allowance, and travel expenses are not paid," the council paid the former member Choi, who voluntarily resigned without being detained.
The former member Choi is accused of having sex with a middle school student in a car and at motels three times over one year starting in Oct. 2024 and of demanding that the victim take and send nude photos. Choi is also suspected of offering more money if the victim brought a friend and of engaging in sexual conversations.
In February, a complaint against the former member Choi on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses was filed with police.