Seoul, Jan 10 A shaman allegedly involved in the presidential campaign of now-impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on charges of taking illegal political funds from a politician who ran for the 2018 local elections, officials said on Friday.
The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said it indicted Jeon Seong-bae without physical detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.
Jeon, better known as Geonjin, is suspected of receiving about 100 million won (US$69,027) in illegal political funds from a candidate during the ruling People Power Party's nomination race for the elections.
He is also believed to have played a role in Yoon's presidential campaign prior to the election in March 2022 and has been accused of leveraging his personal connections with the first family to influence business interests.
The indictment follows the prosecution's two unsuccessful attempts to secure a court-issued warrant for Jeon's detention.
However, prosecutors ultimately decided to indict him without physical detention and will not seek another arrest warrant, as the seven-year statute of limitations for violations of the Political Funds Act was nearing expiration, according to sources familiar with the investigation, Yonhap news agency reported.
Meanwhile, South Korea's parliamentary judiciary subcommittee on Friday passed a new opposition-led bill mandating a special counsel probe into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid.
Opposition parties unilaterally passed the bill during a subcommittee meeting of the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee. Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) boycotted the vote in protest of the bill.
The new version proposes that the Supreme Court's chief justice recommend a special counsel to look into Yoon's insurrection charges in an apparent effort to secure more defection votes from the PPP.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) also excluded a clause that allows opposition parties to request a new recommendation in the event the proposed candidate is deemed unfit.
The previous bill, which proposed special counsel recommendations from the DP and the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, was scrapped Wednesday after being voted down by just two votes.
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