[Insight & Opinion] Endless Political Strife Fueled by 'Switching Suspicions'

The person who visited the Army Chief of Staff's official residence was not ‘Cheongong’. Former Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Bu Seung-chan claimed that he heard from former Army Chief of Staff Nam Young-shin that "Cheongong visited the Army Chief of Staff's residence in Hannam-dong and the Army Seoul office together with a senior official from the Presidential Transition Committee."

The Presidential Office filed a defamation lawsuit against former spokesperson Bu and others, and the police investigation reportedly concluded that the ‘Cheongong suspicion’ was not true. It is said that the person who visited the Army Chief of Staff's residence was Professor Baek Jae-kwon, a feng shui expert.

Although the ‘Cheongong suspicion’ was proven false, the controversy seems to be heating up again. The Democratic Party criticizes, saying, "Selecting the president's residence is a serious state affair, and deciding it based on the advice of a feng shui expert is absurd."

Watching this scene, one thinks of an endless ‘infinite political conflict’. Even when the facts of a suspicion are revealed, the issue shifts and continues to be a source of political strife.

Last May, the ‘Kim Geon-hee’s dog’ revelation raised by Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Sang-ho and others was similar. At that time, Rep. Woo claimed that Mrs. Kim was rude when she visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs minister’s official residence, which was confirmed as the new presidential residence, and told the minister’s wife to leave because she needed to look around.

When it was proven that such an incident did not occur, opposition politicians shifted their focus to the issue of Mrs. Kim ‘carrying a dog’. The ‘minister’s wife’ disappeared, and the ‘dog’ appeared. Even when the raised suspicion is confirmed false, they repeatedly cover their mistakes by raising another suspicion regardless.

Feng shui is a discipline that studies the energy of heaven and earth based on the principles of the I Ching, the foundation of Eastern science. Since it is based on historical experience, it is often used as a human geography theory for efficient land use.

It was revealed that two feng shui experts participated in deciding the administrative capital location during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Professor Yoo Hong-jun, who served as an advisor to the Moon Jae-in administration’s Gwanghwamun Presidential Era Committee, also explained the process of abandoning the campaign promise to move the presidential office to Gwanghwamun, revealing feng shui perspectives. Consulting feng shui experts when deciding important sites is a long-standing historical custom and is not particularly subject to criticism.

There can be debates about whether it is appropriate to refer to feng shui experts’ opinions when relocating the presidential residence. However, disparaging feng shui as superstition or shamanism is far from social consensus. Nevertheless, no one admits that the ‘Cheongong suspicion’ was groundless, and the focus quietly shifts to ‘feng shui’. Former spokesperson Bu does not back down, saying, "Whether it was a feng shui expert or someone else is not important; the point is that (unauthorized civilian entry) is a serious problem."

Recently, Park Young-hoon, vice chairman of the Democratic Party’s Youth Future Council, claimed that Mrs. Kim Geon-hee ‘hid a Chanel bag inside an eco bag’, which was proven false, but he did not apologize. Democratic Party lawmaker Min Hyung-bae criticized, saying, "Whether true or not, there is a reason it looks that way to citizens," calling it "the first lady’s love for luxury goods." Hearing a lawmaker say "whether true or not" makes one doubt their ears. When such thoughts arise, politics becomes propaganda.

Yu Chang-seon, Political Commentator