Prosecutors raid ex-South Korean president's home over shaman gift inquiry

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday raided the home of the country’s ex-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 this month by the Constitutional Court over his disastrous December 3 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”.

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The shaman, 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, Kim Keon Hee.

Jeon claimed he lost the intended gifts and never delivered them to Kim, but local media 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”.

Prosecution are 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.

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Both Yoon and 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.

Kim was also questioned last year over allegations of stock manipulation and graft, after hidden camera footage surfaced showing her accepting a $2,200 designer handbag.

The scandal hit then-president Yoon’s already-low approval ratings, contributing to a stinging defeat for his party in general elections last April 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.