South Korea prosecutors detain shaman over ‘links to Yoon’s presidential campaign’

South Korea has detained a shaman for his alleged involvement in president Yoon Suk Yeol’s 2022 presidential campaign on charges of receiving illegal political funds, an investigation that could spell more trouble for the impeached president.

Prosecutors detained the shaman, Jeon Seong-bae, who is known as Geon Jin, on suspicions that he received illegal political funds from politicians who ran for office in the 2018 election.

On Wednesday, the prosecutors from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office filed for the formal arrest of the shaman.

In South Korean politics, shamans are the figures who claim to possess spiritual or supernatural influence and are believed to hold sway over political leaders. South Korea has a complex history with shamanism which has drawn controversies with its association in politics.

Prosecutors conducted a raid at his residence and a temple in southern Seoul. His two smartphones seized from the residence are being examined for evidence, according to Yonhap.

Mr Jeon has been accused of flaunting his close ties with Mr Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee and reportedly served as an adviser at the first lady’s former company Covana Contents.

He is believed to have played an active role in Mr Yoon’s presidential campaign before his narrow victory in 2022.

His arrest would mount more troubles for Mr Yoon, who was impeached on Saturday through a second vote in parliament over his attempt to impose martial law, a move that threw the nation into chaos and split his party.

The Constitutional Court will now decide whether to remove him from office or restore his power as he remains suspended from presidential duties.

It comes as the South Korean foreign ministry said it was preparing a roadmap for US president Donald Trump’s potential efforts to reopen nuclear talks with North Korea.

It conceded that Seoul’s political turmoil had disrupted ties with Mr Trump’s team.

At a rare joint news conference for foreign media, foreign minister Cho Tae-yul and finance minister Choi Sang-mok sought to reassure Seoul’s allies and calm market jitters since as the martial law chaos triggered the nation’s biggest political crisis in decades.

Mr Cho said Seoul had built a network and communication channels with Trump’s campaign that were "stronger than those of any other country".

Meanwhile, the second attempt to gain entry to the office of Mr Yoon by investigators failed on Tuesday after presidential office security staff denied them entry, Yonhap news agency reported.

A joint investigation team including police and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was trying to access computer servers of the presidential office’s security service to get records of phones including one used by the police commissioner, Yonhap said, citing the team.

It was the second time authorities tried and failed to raid the presidential office over the declaration of martial law that was reversed within hours after a standoff with parliament.

Seok Dong-hyun, a lawyer and an ex-prosecutor who helps Yoon, told reporters on Tuesday that the president’s declaration of martial law did not constitute insurrection, Yonhap reported.

Additional reporting by agencies