30th April 2025 – (Seoul) South Korean prosecutors stormed the private home of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, in Seoul’s upscale Seocho District on Wednesday, intensifying a high-profile investigation into alleged influence-peddling involving controversial religious figures. The raid targeted the couple’s luxury Acrovista apartment complex, with authorities seizing documents and materials linked to their purported ties to shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geon Jin, who faces charges of illicit political fundraising.
Yoon, removed from office on 4 April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment over an attempted martial law declaration last December, has remained under scrutiny since leaving the presidential residence in Yongsan. Prosecutors allege Jeon played a shadowy role in Yoon’s 2022 election campaign, leveraging his spiritual clout to court political support. The shaman, detained since December 2023 over claims he funnelled illegal funds to candidates during the 2018 local elections, is accused of boasting close connections to the ex-first family to extract financial favours.
The raid marks the latest twist in a saga that has gripped South Korea, blending political drama with whispers of occult influence. While Yoon has largely stayed silent during his ongoing criminal trial over the botched martial law bid—appearing at times drowsy in court—the probe into his alleged backchannel dealings with Jeon threatens to deepen his legal woes. Critics argue the scandal underscores broader concerns about the blurring lines between power, religion, and governance during his tumultuous presidency.
Yoon and Kim relocated to Acrovista shortly after his historic ousting, trading the Blue House’s stately confines for a discreet high-rise existence. Yet the couple’s retreat from public life has done little to shield them from judicial heat, as prosecutors piece together a timeline of Jeon’s involvement in their political rise. With public interest surging and courtroom cameras capturing Yoon’s terse denials of insurrection charges, the case continues to fuel debates about accountability in Seoul’s corridors of power.