South Korean fortune teller probed for alleged involvement in presidential affairs

A former South Korean president faced a similar scandal.

Yen Zhi Yi | March 15, 2023, 06:34 PM

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South Korean police are currently investigating allegations that a fortune teller, named Cheongong, was involved in the relocation of the presidential office from the presidential palace known as the Blue House, MBC News reported.

Moving house

In 2022, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol announced that he would be breaking tradition by moving the presidential office and residence from the Blue House to a compound in the Ministry of National Defence, Reuters reported.

This move was criticised by political supporters and opponents alike and there were concerns over his judgement.

A search was conducted at the country's defence ministry on March 15, according to Seoul Shinmun.

Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Cyber ​​Investigation Unit were deployed to the defence ministry’s building located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Mar. 15.

They secured relevant documents, such as vehicle access records to the compound. CCTV footage was also being checked by the police, according to MBC.

Who is Cheongong?

Known as "Master" Cheongong, the South Korean soothsayer runs a YouTube channel under the name of “Jungbub”.

Based on the “About” section of his dubbed channel, he apparently spent 17 years in the mountains and “absorbed Cosmic Law”.

He “teaches humanity how to live correctly by applying the Cosmic Law” through his videos, the description read.

Cheongong previously made headlines for his relationship with Yoon, in which the former claimed that he was like an informal adviser to the president himself.

The presidential office had also rejected claims that Cheongong was involved in the planning of U.S. president Joe Biden’s visit to South Korea in May 2022, according to an earlier report by Yonhap.

In February 2023, criminal complaints were filed against two local media outlets and a former spokesperson from the defence ministry by the presidential office for making false allegations of Cheongong's involvement in the relocation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

He is currently under suspicion of using “celestial” means to influence the decision to relocate the presidential office and residence, according to KBS News.

Connections to superstition

Yoon was already suspected to be superstitious during his election campaign period as there was a claim of a shaman being in the campaign’s advisory committee, according to the Korea Herald.

It is unclear whether the individual involved was Cheongong.

Yoon had also come under fire for having the Chinese character for "king" written on his palm, leading to accusations that he relied on superstition.

In 2017, former president Park Geun Hye was ousted from office when it was discovered that she was consulting her close friend, Choi Soon Sil, for policymaking, according to the BBC.

Choi was dubbed as South Korea’s “Rasputin”, a title given to someone who exercised insidious but great influence over political figures.

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Top images via YouTube/Jungbub English & Google Maps