Shaman in South Korea Indicted for Illegal Political Contributions
Click to start listening
Seoul, Jan 10 (NationPress) A shaman linked to the presidential campaign of the now-impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been indicted on allegations of accepting illegal political funds from a candidate who participated in the 2018 local elections, as reported by officials on Friday.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office announced that Jeon Seong-bae, who is also known as Geonjin, was indicted without physical detention for violating the Political Funds Act.
He stands accused of obtaining approximately 100 million won (around US$69,027) in illegal political contributions from a candidate during the nomination process of the ruling People Power Party for those elections.
Furthermore, he is believed to have influenced Yoon's presidential campaign ahead of the election held in March 2022 and has been accused of utilizing his connections with the first family to sway business interests.
This indictment comes after two failed attempts by the prosecution to obtain a court-issued warrant for Jeon's detention.
Nonetheless, prosecutors have opted to proceed with the indictment without seeking another arrest warrant, as the seven-year statute of limitations for breaching the Political Funds Act was approaching expiration, according to sources familiar with the case, as reported by Yonhap.
In related news, South Korea's parliamentary judiciary subcommittee approved a new opposition-led proposal on Friday that calls for a special counsel investigation into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's unsuccessful martial law attempt.
Opposition members passed this bill unilaterally during a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee, while lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote in protest.
The latest version of the bill suggests that the chief justice of the Supreme Court should recommend a special counsel to investigate Yoon's insurrection charges, seemingly to attract more defection votes from the PPP.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) also removed a clause that would permit opposition parties to request a new recommendation if the proposed candidate was considered unqualified.
The earlier version of the bill, which involved special counsel recommendations from the DP and the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, was rejected on Wednesday after a narrow vote.
