"Possessed by Something?"... Yoon, the Unending 'Pungsujiri and Shamanism' Controversy over 'Yongsan Relocation'

"Acted Like the Palm King (王) During Candidacy" Democratic Party's 'Shamanism Controversy' Offensive
Even Conservatives Say "Could Be Misunderstood as Due to Pungsu-Jiri"
"Lack of Explanation for Hastily Pushing Despite Public Opposition"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is holding a press conference on the 20th regarding the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan. [National Assembly Press Photographers Group] [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol has decided to relocate his office to the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building, but debates surrounding this move continue. Controversy has even arisen suggesting that the swift relocation before the start of his term is intertwined with pungsu (Korean geomancy).

The Blue House has urged that the move should be carried out with sufficient time, but President-elect Yoon stated that he would begin his term at the Tongui-dong office instead of the Blue House, effectively not backing down from his intention to relocate. The ongoing controversy over the office relocation stems largely from the lack of a reasonable justification for rushing the move despite the high risk of various problems arising.

The Democratic Party of Korea launched an offensive, raising the issue of 'reliance on shamanism' in response to President-elect Yoon's insistence on pushing forward with the office relocation despite public opposition. Kim Seong-hwan, the policy committee chairman, criticized at a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly on the 22nd, saying, "It is very regrettable to see him act like the 'king (王)' character written on his palm during the campaign," and added, "Even if the move is pursued after inauguration, it seems difficult to resolve issues such as uncommunicative administration, security instability, and infringement on the property rights of Seoul citizens."

Yoon Ho-jung, co-chairman of the emergency response committee, also pointed out, "One cannot help but ask whether moving the office is more important than the people's livelihood," and criticized, "During the election, there were pledges of 50 trillion won in loss compensation and 10 million won in quarantine support funds, but after winning, all we hear about is moving."

Criticism toward President-elect Yoon continued at the National Assembly's National Defense Committee on the same day. Assemblyman Seol Hoon stated, "Moving the Blue House is not child's play, and even if relocating to Yongsan, it should be done properly with time," adding, "If moved like this, people might think he is possessed by something."

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is personally inspecting the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building, one of the candidate sites for the Blue House relocation, on the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President-elect Yoon's shamanism controversy first emerged during the People Power Party's presidential primary last year. At that time, during a TV debate, he was seen with the character king (王) inscribed on his palm.

After being selected as the presidential candidate, it was confirmed in January that a shaman known as Geonjin Beopsa served as an advisor to the election campaign headquarters. In the same month, the so-called '7-hour phone call' recording of his spouse Kim Geon-hee was released, revealing that she relayed a shaman's words and mentioned relocating the Blue House's guesthouse, deepening suspicions that President-elect Yoon relies on shamanism.

In response to the Democratic Party's offensive, President-elect Yoon dismissed the controversy at a press conference on the 20th, saying, "It seems the Democratic Party is more interested in shamanism," and regarding the urgency of relocating the office, he said, "Once inside the Blue House grounds, it becomes even harder to escape the symbol of autocratic power that the Blue House represents," and "I believe that space governs consciousness."

However, the shamanism controversy was also pointed out within conservative circles. Lee Jae-oh, senior advisor of the People Power Party, said in a KBS radio interview on the 21st, "The president-elect and those around him kept singing about opening the Gwanghwamun era.

But suddenly talking about Yongsan makes people misunderstand that it is because of pungsu (geomancy)," he said. He added, "I respect the move to Yongsan, but the president-elect and the transition committee must understand that there are various unresolved issues and problems."

Given the high costs and time required, as well as the numerous challenges involved, opposition and concerns about pushing forward with the relocation are inevitable.

Professor Lee Jun-han of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Incheon National University explained the reason for the pungsu and shamanism controversy surrounding the Yongsan relocation, saying, "Despite strong public opposition, the move is being rushed without consultation with the current government or following legal procedures," and added, "Although the parties involved deny it, the president-elect should consider how convincingly his explanation can persuade many people."