| Honorific Prefix: | The Honourable |
| Choi Jae-hyung | |
| Honorific Suffix: | MP |
| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Birth Date: | 2 September 1956 |
| Birth Place: | Jinhae, South Gyeongsang, South Korea (now Jinhae District, Changwon) |
| Citizenship: | South Korean |
| Office: | Member of the National Assembly |
| Term Start1: | 9 March 2022 |
| Term End1: | 29 May 2024 |
| Predecessor1: | Lee Nak-yon |
| Successor1: | Kwak Sang-eon |
| Constituency1: | Seoul Jongno |
| Office2: | Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection |
| President2: | Moon Jae-in |
| Term Start2: | 2 January 2018 |
| Term End2: | 28 June 2021 |
| Predecessor2: | Hwang Chan-hyun |
| Successor2: | Kang Mina (acting) |
| Party: | People Power |
| Alma Mater: | Seoul National University |
| Occupation: | Politician, judge |
| Spouse: | Lee So-yeon |
| Children: | Choi Ji-won Choi Ye-won Choi Young-jin (adopted) Choi Jin-ho (adopted) |
| Parents: | Choi Young-sup (father; 2021) Chung Ohk-kyung (mother; 2009) |
| Relatives: | Choi Byung-kyu (grandfather) |
| Signature: | Choi Jae-hyung signature.svg |
Choi Jae-hyung (born 2 September 1956) is a South Korean politician and retired judge who served as the Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) from 2018 to 2021. He is a member of the National Assembly.
Choi Jae-hyung was born in Jinhae (now Jinhae District, Changwon), South Gyeongsang on 2 September 1956.[1] [2] [3] He is the second of the four sons of Choi Young-sup (1928-2021),[1] [2] is a former reserved captain from Pyeonggang, Gangwon (now under the de facto rule of North Korea).[3] [4] [5] He led the victory of South Korea during the Battle of Korea Strait.[1] [6] He also participated in the Battle of Inchon and was awarded the Order of Military Merit for 3 times.[3] He married Chung Ohk-kyung, who died in 2009 after an 11-year battle with Parkinson's disease.[7] He died on 8 July 2021, a day after his son launched a bid to join politics.[8] He is the son of Choi Byung-kyu (1909-2008), a former independent activist who was also from Pyeonggang.[3]
Choi Jae-hyung has an elder brother, Choi Jae-shin, who was the former President of KorDev.[3] [6] He also has 2 younger brothers — Choi Jae-min (doctor at a children's hospital) and Choi Jae-wan (professor at Gwangju University.[3] [6]
Choi spent his childhood with his father in Waryong-dong, Central District, Seoul, but then moved to Hoehyeon-dong, and then Donggyo-dong.[1] He studied at Hanyoung Secondary School in Seongbuk (now moved to Gangdong), which took 4 hours to go from and return to his home.[1] He then attended Kyunggi High School,[2] [3] [5] [6] where he met a friend named Kang Myung-hoon, who suffered from poliomyelitis during that time.[1] [9] Every day, Choi carried Kang on his back to go to school, which was continued for 2 years.[1] [9] This story became a trend when both were qualified for the bar in 1981.[1] [9] Kang later became a lawyer.[1] [9]
He studied law at Seoul National University, and completed national service as a lieutenant from 1983 to 1986.[1] [2] [3]
After being qualified for the bar in 1981, Choi started his career as a judge at Seoul Central District Court in 1986.[2] He then continued to work at Daejeon District Court, Seoul Family Court, Seoul High Court and so on.[10] [11]
See also: Board of Audit and Inspection. Following the election of the new President Moon Jae-in, Choi was nominated Chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) on 7 December 2017, 6 days after the resignation of Hwang Chan-hyun.[10] [12] [13] [14] [11] On 29 December, 231 out of 246 MPs voted in favour of his appointment.[15]
On 28 June 2021, Choi officially resigned as the Chairman of the BAI.[16]
On 7 July 2021, after 9 days he resigned from the BAI, Choi made an announcement to join politics.[17] [18] It was also reported that the People Power Party (PPP) intends to bring him into the party to pave a way for running at the 2022 presidential election.[17] [18]
On 15 July, Choi officially joined the PPP.[19] [20]
Choi is married to Lee So-yeon; the couple has 2 daughters and 2 adopted sons.[1] [2] [9]
He is a Protestant and a presbyter at Shinchon Church, where both of his parents used to be a part of.[9]