Choi Ho, a former member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council who ran as a candidate for Pyeongtaek mayor, was found dead amid allegations that former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife were involved in the nomination process during the June 2022 local elections.
According to Pyeongtaek Police Station and other sources on July 28, Choi was found dead at 3:14 a.m. that day in a mountain area in Pyeongtaek. No suicide note has been found so far.
Choi was questioned in April at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, which is investigating allegations of nomination interference by former President Yoon and his wife. Choi had served as a political affairs special advisor at the central election campaign headquarters for the People Power Party's presidential candidate and as a standing advisor to the Presidential Transition Committee, and was considered a pro-Yoon figure.
Previously, suspicions arose that former President Yoon and his wife supported Choi, a pro-Yoon figure, as a preliminary candidate during the nomination process for Pyeongtaek mayor in the local elections. Despite former Pyeongtaek mayor Gong Jaekwang holding a commanding lead in public opinion polls on candidate suitability, Choi, who was evaluated as lacking competitiveness, was nominated as the sole candidate.
The police are investigating the exact cause and circumstances of Choi's death.
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