Home > National > Politics

Former Gyeonggi lawmaker under investigation for links to Yoon case found dead

Published: 28 Jul. 2025, 12:45 Updated: 28 Jul. 2025, 19:41

Choi Ho, Gyeonggi provincial lawmaker [YONHAP]

A former Gyeonggi provincial lawmaker under investigation for suspected meddling in a party nomination process involving former President Yoon Suk Yeol and former first lady Kim Keon Hee was found dead early Monday, according to police.

Choi Ho, who served as a Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member, was discovered at around 3 a.m. on a hill in Jisan-dong, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, by a police officer, the Pyeongtaek Police Precinct said. His family had reported him missing an hour earlier after he failed to return home.

Choi reportedly left home around 5 p.m. on Sunday and went to the location where he was later found. Police suspect the death may be a suicide, but no suicide note has been located so far.

“As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot provide further details,” a police official said.

Choi was the conservative People Power Party’s (PPP) nominee for Pyeongtaek mayor in the June 1 local elections in 2022. He had been at the center of speculation that the former president and first lady backed him as a preliminary candidate for the party’s nomination in the lead-up to the 2022 local elections.

The special counsel investigating first lady Kim Keon Hee said in a statement that it had “no contact with Choi Ho, former Pyeongtaek mayoral candidate, in relation to any summons or investigations, nor had any plans to summon him.”

If you or someone you know is feeling emotionally distressed or struggling with thoughts of suicide, LifeLine Korea can be contacted at 1588-9191 or the Crisis Counseling Center at 1577-0199. The Seoul Global Center offers English-language counseling, contact 02-2075-4180 (+1) to arrange a session. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]