Did a ‘prophet’ tell South Korea’s president to leave the Blue House? Yoon debunks claim

Did South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol leave his official residence last year on the directions of a soothsayer? Rival political parties seem to think so. Several political leaders clashed over the matter in the parliament, saying that a "prophet" was reportedly the reason why Yoon left the residence. The presidential office denied the claims and went ahead with filing defamation complaints against seven people for spreading “malicious” rumours. A former defence ministry spokesman was one of the seven against whom the complaint was filed.

Shamans and prophets seem to have become a part of politics in South Korea. Earlier, former president Park Geun-hye was impeached in 2017 after reports suggesting that she consulted her close friend Choi Soon-sil for policy decisions came out. Notably, the latter is seen as a female Rasputin in South Korea.

The entire matter is linked to a self-proclaimed ‘prophet’ Cheongong, who says that he acted like an undeclared personal adviser to Yoon. He says that it was he who made Yoon resign as the country’s top prosecutor to enter politics in 2021. Yoon, during his campaign, had promised that he won't use the presidential residence Blue House in order to better communicate with the public. The Blue House is home to the president of South Korea and also serves as the presidential office.

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Stories about Yoon being linked to a shaman started doing the rounds while he was campaigning. Once while waving, people noticed that his hand had the Chinese character “wang” (king) written on it. Later in December, former opposition lawmaker Kim Jong-dae alleged in a radio show that Cheongong was involved in choosing the new presidential residence. To counter the statement, Yoon’s office filed a defamation complaint against both the ex-lawmaker and the radio host.

In 2021, Yoon admitted that he knew Cheongong, but wasn't taking any political advice from him. Cheongong leads a cult-like organisation in South Korea.

Park Sung-joon of the opposition liberal Democratic Party of Korea, said on Monday, “(Historical) classics refer to signs of an impending collapse (of a country). When incantation politics or shaman-influenced politics are rampant... Cheongong claims he is the president’s mentor.”

Hitting back atthe accusations, lawmaker Song Suk-joon said Park was spreading “false rumours that could only be read in fables”.

(With inputs from agencies)

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