Former Cheongju City Council member Choi Young-jung, who faces charges of child sex crimes, has been indicted and will stand trial in custody.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Eun-mi) said on the 25th that Choi had been indicted and detained on charges including statutory rape of a minor and violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (habitual production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, sex buying, and conversations for the purpose of sexual exploitation).
According to prosecutors, from July 2024 to January this year, Choi habitually produced numerous sexual exploitation materials by demanding that four victims who were children or juveniles take and send photos exposing parts of their bodies. It was also found that Choi distributed the sexual exploitation materials received from the victims to acquaintances.
Around the same period, Choi is also accused of having sexual intercourse on four occasions with three people, including victim A, who was 13 at the time. Choi demanded sex from victim A in exchange for pocket money, and was found to have provided money to the other two.
After receiving the case from police, prosecutors immediately formed a special investigation team. Through searches and seizures of Choi's residence and workplace, prosecutors confirmed that Choi attempted to further produce sexual exploitation materials targeting two of the victims. Prosecutors said, "The materials were not produced and possessed as a one-off, but were produced habitually."
During questioning, Choi reportedly claimed not to know that victim A was a minor under 16. However, prosecutors established that Choi knew the victim was a minor under 16 and nevertheless committed statutory rape, based on the place where Choi first met the victim, the clothes the victim was wearing at the time, KakaoTalk messages, and the victim's statement.
Prosecutors said they will do their best to ensure a heavy sentence commensurate with the crimes and will work to achieve substantial recovery for the victims through psychological treatment and other measures.