South Korea prosecutors raid ex-president Yoon’s house over shaman probe: Media
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Ousted South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol waving as he left the presidential residence in Seoul on April 11.
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – South Korean prosecutors on April 30 raided the home of the country’s former president, Yonhap reported, as part of a probe into a shaman accused of receiving lavish gifts for the former first lady.
Former president Yoon Suk Yeol was stripped of all power and privileges earlier in April by the Constitutional Court over his disastrous Dec 3, 2024, martial law declaration
He was forced to move out of the presidential residence and into his long-time previous home in Seoul’s Seocho district.
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency said the prosecution raided Yoon’s house “as part of its investigation into various suspicions over relations between his family and a controversial shaman”.
The shaman, Mr Jeon Seong-bae, is accused of receiving a diamond necklace, a luxury bag and ginseng – a popular health tonic that can cost thousands – from a high-ranking official from the Unification Church and handing them to Yoon’s wife, Ms Kim Keon Hee.
Mr Jeon claimed he lost the intended gifts and never delivered them to Ms Kim, but local media outlets reported that prosecutors had obtained a text message from the official from the church group also known as the Moonies, demanding he “give the necklace back”.
The prosecution is also trying to “verify the authenticity of the alleged delivery of gifts”, and find out whether the then First Lady ever received them, Yonhap added.
Both Yoon and Ms Kim have also faced criticism over alleged ties to another shaman, with critics claiming Yoon moved the presidential office at the start of his term in 2022 based on shamanistic beliefs.
Ms Kim was also questioned in 2024 over allegations of stock manipulation and graft, after hidden camera footage surfaced showing her accepting a US$2,200 (S$2,900) designer handbag
The scandal hit then President Yoon’s already-low approval ratings, contributing to a stinging defeat for his party in a general election in April 2024 as it failed to win back a parliamentary majority.
He later cited purported election fraud and legislative gridlock as justifications for his short-lived effort to suspend civilian rule. AFP
