The French daily Le Monde referred to the declaration of a state of emergency by President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 14th as a 'failed coup' and noted, 'Given that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife enjoy seeking advice from shamans, it is not surprising that shamans were involved in the state of emergency declaration process.'

President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the 8th hearing of the impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Nov. 13, talking with lawyer Kim Gye-ri from his legal team. /Courtesy of News1

Le Monde mentioned former Army Intelligence Command Officer Roh Sang-won, who operated a fortune-telling shop with a shaman and was known as 'Ansan fortune teller,' stating, 'He contacted the new intelligence commander and participated in President Yoon's state of emergency, using his shamanic connections to guarantee the success of the operation.'

The media also introduced that he consulted another shaman, 'Bidan Assi,' to identify potential traitors. Roh has been detained and indicted on charges of planning the state of emergency in advance and instructing the takeover of the National Election Commission and the arrest of employees. He was dishonorably discharged in 2018 during his tenure as the head of the Army Intelligence School due to allegations of sexual harassment.

Le Monde introduced Jeon Seong-bae, also known as 'Geonjin Beopsa,' saying, 'He has been advising Kim Keon-hee for a long time along with her cultural event company, Kobana Contents,' and added, 'He is even known to be the person who persuaded President Yoon to run in the presidential election.'

Regarding another shaman, Lee Cheon-gong, it was reported that during the 2022 presidential election, he boasted, 'President Yoon is someone who studies,' stating that he meets with 'President Yoon' about once every ten days.

It was mentioned that Cheon-gong earned the nickname of the president's mentor or Rasputin. Rasputin was a monk who had a profound influence on Empress Alexandra of the Russian Empire's Tsar Nicholas II. Le Monde reported that there are rumors that President Yoon wrote the character for 'king' (王) on his palm during the campaign period and relocated the presidential office based on Cheon-gong's advice.

Le Monde stated, 'It is not exceptional for a leader in Korea to rely on shamanism,' adding that former President Park Chung-hee consulted a shaman's oracle before declaring martial law on October 17, 1972, which granted him dictatorial powers, and former President Kim Dae-jung relocated his father's grave following the advice of a shaman to secure victory in the presidential election.

It was also reported that former President Park Geun-hye, the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, was under the influence of her close aide Choi Soon-sil (the name before her legal name change), who urged her to wear shamanistic symbols.

While stating that 'shamanism, the shamanistic faith of Korea, is an ancient belief that existed before Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism,' it was noted that 'confronted with long-term economic difficulties, shamanism is regaining popularity among the younger generation.' Le Monde indicated that the success of director Jang Jae-hyun's film 'Pamyo,' which was released last year and attracted 12 million viewers, was also in this context.