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Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl (far left) and former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min (far right), both candidates in the People Power Party's presidential primary, look elsewhere after greeting each other at the “2021 People Hope Forum” held Thursday in Seoul’s Yeouido. (National Assembly pool photo)

The presidential primaries of South Korea’s leading opposition party have been roiled by leading candidate Yoon Seok-youl displaying the Chinese character for “king” on his palm during a televised debate and by controversy over Yoon’s connection with a figure who goes by Master Cheon-gong (Cheon-gong seuseung, spiritual mentor), who runs a YouTube channel under the name Jungbub.

Amid criticism that the People Power Party’s (PPP) primaries are being sidetracked by shamanism, some observers are recalling bad memories of the Choi Soon-sil scandal that brought down the presidency of Park Geun-hye. Choi, who later legally changed her name to Choi Seo-won, reportedly consulted shamans along with Park.

“Yoon Seok-youl suggested that I watch some lectures by Jungbub that are called ‘character training in the humanitarian spirit.’ Most of the content of those lectures goes against common sense. To give one example, a YouTube video titled ‘Lecture No. 11582: Should You Live with Your Father or Your Mother?’ says that mothers shouldn’t raise children because they don’t have ‘indriya (faculties),’” said Yoo Seong-min, a former lawmaker and another PPP presidential hopeful, in a statement on Thursday.

“That’s why we have to assess Yoon Seok-youl’s world view, along with his policy-making ability,” Yoo emphasized.

While explaining an altercation with Yoo that took place outside the debate venue the previous day, Yoon said, “I told Yoo that Jungbub has a lot of videos which will show you what kind of person he is. But Yoo pushed my hand away and walked away.”

“I looked up Jungbub’s videos on YouTube. I guess these are the kind of videos that inspire someone to write the Chinese character for ‘king’ on their palm before showing up for a TV debate,” Yoo wrote on his Facebook page.

During a presidential debate on Tuesday, Yoo needled Yoon about whether he was close to a so-called anal acupuncture specialist and what his relationship was with Jungbub.

Members of the PPP are frustrated about the “unproductive” nature of the squabbling over shamanism, which has effectively crowded out the policy debate that could win over party members and the general public before the PPP’s second elimination round in its Friday primaries.

One source in the PPP called the hubbub “meaningless bickering that will irritate the general public.”

Others seem to be alarmed that the shamanism debate may remind voters of the Choi Soon-sil scandal. Part of that scandal was the discovery years after the fact that Choi had told Park to use a five-colored pouch called an “obangnang” in her inaugural ceremony, explaining that the pouch contained “energy that links people and the universe.”

“It makes people anxious to see the No. 1 candidate for the opposition party write the Chinese character for ‘king’ on his hand as a good luck charm on live television. I was even more dumbfounded after watching the Jungbub videos that Yoon was talking about. If he’s a true believer and follower of that kind of thing, he’s dangerous,” argued a member of Yoo’s campaign.

But Yoon’s position is that there’s nothing wrong with watching the Jungbub videos.

“[Jungbub’s YouTube videos] aren’t about superstitions or fortune-telling. He may not be for everyone, but he’s not a psychic,” Yoon reiterated while speaking to reporters after attending an event Thursday at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District.

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

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