Ruling party expels councilor accused of minor sex trafficking

South Korea's ruling People Power Party has expelled a local councilor from Cheongju City facing allegations of sexually trafficking minors. The decision came swiftly after police initiated a forced investigation, including searches of the councilor's office and home.

The party's ethics committee convened an emergency meeting to deliberate on the case. The committee resolved to expel the councilor, with formal proceedings to be finalized in an upcoming steering committee meeting. Police are investigating the councilor for alleged repeated sexual relations with a minor met through a mobile chat application in Sejong this year, as well as for soliciting sex trafficking. Under South Korean law, sexual relations with individuals under 16 are punishable regardless of consent or coercion.

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The party views this matter with extreme seriousness. Especially, crimes targeting minors are very serious crimes that cannot be justified for any reason.

Authorities are also reportedly examining evidence related to the production of exploitative content. The councilor, identified only by the surname Choi, is a first-term member elected in the June 2022 local elections. The People Power Party's spokesperson, Park Sung-hoon, described the situation as "extremely serious," emphasizing that crimes against minors cannot be justified under any circumstances. The party also pledged to implement thorough preventative measures to avoid similar issues in future candidate nominations.

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We plan to thoroughly establish preventive measures to ensure the same problem does not repeat in the future nomination process.