Former South Korean President’s Home Raided in Probe Involving Shaman

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday raided the private residence of former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, as part of a corruption and influence-peddling probe involving the former first couple and a shaman, the South China Morning Post reported. 

The raid marks the first court-authorized search of the former presidential couple’s residence and is unrelated to the ongoing criminal probe against Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration of martial law that led to his impeachment. 

Prosecutors said the investigation centers on allegations of influence-peddling involving Jeon Seong-bae, a well-known fortune teller who has been accused of acting as a fixer in multiple such cases involving the former first couple.  

Authorities alleged that Jeon – known also as Monk Kujin – received numerous gifts, including a $45,000 diamond necklace and a luxury bag from a high-ranking official of the Unification Church. 

The gifts were intended for the former first lady, but the shaman claimed that he had lost them and had never delivered them to Kim. Local media said prosecutors are still trying to “verify the authenticity of the alleged delivery of gifts” and whether Kim received them, Channel News Asia wrote. 

Adding to the scandal, South Korean authorities discovered more than 50 million won – around $36,000 – in freshly minted banknotes at Jeon’s residence. These banknotes have intact Bank of Korea seals and are typically reserved for high-level government institutions. 

Yoon was indicted for abuse of power, adding to the growing list of charges against the ousted leader, who is already on trial over an alleged attempt to stage an insurrection, Reuters reported Thursday.

Observers say the recent raids and indictments mark a turning point for prosecutorial independence in South Korea. Critics had previously accused prosecutors of avoiding investigations into Yoon while he was in office, citing his former role as prosecutor general. 

South Korean authorities also reopened a stock manipulation and graft case against the former first lady dating from 2022. Hidden camera footage showed Kim accepting a $2,200 luxury handbag from a pastor and manipulating stocks in Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea. 

In a separate investigation, authorities are probing allegations of abuse and financial misconduct at a long-term care facility in Namyangju City, operated by Yoon’s mother-in-law, Choi Eun-soon, and his brother-in-law. 

Since he took office in 2022, the Yoon administration has been plagued by scandals involving his wife, controversial policies, and gaffes, all of which have contributed to plummeting public support and a stinging defeat for his People Power Party in the 2024 parliamentary election.