Yoon Suk Yeol is holed up to avoid arrest after being impeached, supported by shamans and conspiracy theorists

In a televised debate to secure the South Korean presidential nomination, Yoon Suk-yeol had the Chinese character for "king" written on his palm. Subsequently, following the 2021 debate, it was revealed that Yoon had met with a shaman who reportedly advised him that doing so would imbue him with political power to defeat his rivals and “become king.” Song Jie, a Korean expert at the Australian National University, stated, "The shaman told him to do that, like a magic spell."

It was a bizarre revelation, even prompting questions from within his own party, but ultimately it did not alienate his party members or voters. Yoon was elected president the following year. What initially seemed like an odd, isolated incident now appears to many as a harbinger of things to come.

Throughout his presidency, Yoon has displayed a penchant for heeding shamanistic advice and, more recently, a strong inclination towards unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. His eventual power grab, the declaration of martial law in early December, is also widely believed to have been heavily influenced by a former criminal turned sorcerer-fortune teller. While the entanglement of South Korean politics with shamanism has a long history, the latest revelations have irked many voters in a modern, tech-savvy nation.

Dr. Song Jie said, "It’s just unbelievable. We didn't know he would do these crazy things." Yoon has been holed up in his large hillside presidential residence since the country’s powerful anti-corruption watchdog obtained a warrant for his arrest last week. The Senior Officials Corruption Investigation Office is investigating Yoon for abuse of power and insurrection following his dramatic declaration of martial law in early December, which was rescinded six hours later after a parliamentary vote against it.

He was impeached just over a week later, but the matter will ultimately be decided by the Constitutional Court in an impeachment trial that began on January 14. The arrest warrant was issued, a threshold for arrest, after Yoon refused to meet with investigators three times. Efforts to arrest him have been thwarted as presidential guards have refused investigators entry. But it is also notable that hundreds of loyal Yoon supporters have vowed to do anything to protect their leader.

Many have been waving American flags and holding signs that read “Stop the Steal,” a clear homage to US President-elect Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign. Dr. Song Jie said many of the protestors are older men who live in a bubble of right-wing, conspiracy-theory-supporting YouTube channels. “They see Yoon Suk-yeol as a messiah, someone who will save the country from the evil communist threat and bring better prosperity to the country,” Dr. Song said.

John Lee, editor of the online publication Korea Pro, said the use of the English slogan is new and a clear attempt to get Trump’s attention. “First, they want to form some kind of very loose global conservative movement. They want their message to resonate in the American media, and they want their image to appear on Fox News and eventually on Donald Trump's television,” he said. He added that it's not clear what they ultimately want Trump to do. “They want Donald Trump to feel some kind of sympathy for Yoon Suk-yeol and his supporters,” he said.

Without providing evidence, Yoon has defended his martial law declaration by citing "anti-state" forces, tending to view the left-leaning opposition that controls the parliament as North Korean sympathizers. He then pushed conspiracy theories claiming that the recent parliamentary elections were rigged and fraudulent. While there is no evidence to support either claim, they have resonated with his most loyal supporters. One pro-Yoon protestor told ABC, "We think that there was definitely fraud in the voting and in the election."

The specter of North Korean sympathizers is an old trope in South Korea. During the country's decades of military dictatorship, leaders peddled the concept of "bukpung," meaning "wind from the north." In other words, the South was at risk of communist contamination unless strong conservative leaders intervened. Many of the protestors interviewed by ABC expressed deep fears of communism, North Korea, and China. A 25-year-old female protestor, Shim Jae-hee, told ABC, "Liberals are serving the Chinese and North Korean governments. Yoon Suk-yeol realized that liberals are North Korean spies. They are taking over South Korea."

Another protestor, Lee Soo-chan, told ABC he was protesting for "the freedom of the peninsula." He said, "This country is going to China, not to the United States. China is using North Korea to conquer this Korean peninsula and then defeat the United States. I hate the communism of this country." A shocking revelation since Yoon's impeachment is that his former military advisor, later spiritual advisor, Roh Sang-won, allegedly pushed for a conflict with North Korea to justify martial law. A notebook belonging to Roh Sang-won, former head of the Defense Intelligence Command, was discovered that allegedly read "Induce North Korean provocation on the Northern Limit Line."

The Northern Limit Line is a disputed maritime border that separates North and South Korea. The revelation has fueled suspicions that a South Korean drone that dropped propaganda leaflets in North Korea last year may have been an attempt to provoke a conflict to justify martial law. The South Korean military has denied any involvement. “We don’t have confirmation, but the signs indicate that it was a South Korean military drone,” Lee said. Roh Sang-won was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 2018 for forcibly placing a female cadet on his lap and inappropriately touching her at a military dinner.

After his release, he ran a fortune-telling business out of his residence and became a close confidant of Yoon's. He has since been arrested for his alleged role in plotting the martial law declaration. The use of shamanism has a long history in South Korean politics. After his election, Yoon moved the presidential office from the traditional, grand Blue House, at an estimated cost of $64 million. While he officially declared it a “symbol of imperial power,” it has been widely reported that he believed the house to be cursed due to the political downfalls of many presidents.

Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon-hee, is said to be one of the few people he will listen to, and she is reportedly also a firm believer in shamanism. Other politicians have also heavily relied on the spiritual world for political guidance. Former President Park Geun-hye was reportedly persuaded to wear shamanistic symbols, while her father, who served as president until 1979, relied on fortune tellers to declare martial law. Despite the ancient connection between shamanism and politics, many South Koreans are still “annoyed and incredulous,” Lee said.

He said, “South Korea is a modern country. Despite the many conservative protestors carrying Bibles and crosses, the country has more people who are not religious than religious, let alone those who still pay attention to what shamans say.” Yoon remains safely ensconced in his presidential residence, protected by his private security detail. While widely unpopular in South Korea, his defiant and Trump-like stance has seen his approval ratings tick up as he consolidates conservative voters.

But unlike Trump, Yoon cannot run for re-election due to constitutional limits. For now, police may try to force their way in to make an arrest, which could carry a risk of violence. Or authorities could wait for the Constitutional Court to strip him of his title and presidential protection before taking action. If Yoon decides to leave his residence to attend the Constitutional Court hearings, he could be arrested, which he has pledged to do. The long-term concern is how much damage the whole affair, including the rise of right-wing conspiracy theories, might do to the country's democracy.

While the protestors protecting Yoon skew older, many young people are also protecting the impeached president. Dr. Song Jie said, "This is really damaging South Korea's democracy. It might just be some crazy old grandpas, these conspiracy theorists, but they are also increasing and expanding their influence to other types of people."