Shaman's office searched over alleged gifts for Kim Keon Hee
A special counsel team led by Min Joong-ki to look into allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee carried out a search and seizure operation on Tuesday at the office of the shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geon Jin, in Gangnam, southern Seoul, as part of an investigation into suspected corruption ties.
The special counsel team reportedly dispatched prosecutors and investigators to secure evidence, including documents and digital data, related to Jeon's alleged violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and his alleged connection to Kim.
Tuesday's raid by the special counsel is also seen as a continuation of the prosecution's past efforts to look into luxury handbags linked to accusations of bribery against Kim.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office previously investigated the shaman and a high-ranking Unification Church official, surnamed Yoon, who reportedly claimed that he gave a diamond necklace estimated to be worth 60 million won ($43,000) and luxury handbags of unknown value to Jeon, allegedly as a gift for the former first lady after Yoon Suk Yeol won the presidential election in 2022.
The church official is suspected of lobbying the former presidential couple through Jeon in order to gain support for projects in the church's interests, including business operations in Cambodia.
Two Chanel handbags were reportedly delivered to Kim's former aide Yoo Kyung-ok, who tried to exchange the handbags for models that would better appeal to young people on Jeon's advice.
The first lady's attorneys have admitted that Yoo received the Chanel bags due to the shaman's insistence. But they say that Kim never received them, denying the former first lady had any connection to the matter.
Jeon also testified in the prosecution's investigation in May that the luxury bags that were handed over to Yoo were not delivered to Kim. But the shaman claimed he lost the bags after retrieving them from Yoo.
Jeon, who served in a lesser leadership role on Yoon's campaign team during the 2022 presidential election and is believed to have been involved in decision-making, has also been accused of flaunting personal connections with the former presidential couple to influence business interests in the past.
The Unification Church official surnamed Yoon was one of those who sent Jeon a bundle of cash — amounting to 30 million won — under the pretext of a 'prayer fee.'
The special counsel is expected to look into the nature of the relationship between Jeon and the former first lady after analyzing the items collected in Tuesday's search and seizure.
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