SEOUL (SCMP): A retired intelligence chief arrested in connection with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s (pic) failed martial law bid has come under the spotlight over allegations that he was also a fortune-teller who might have played a key role in the political fiasco.
Noh Sang-won, the former head of South Korea’s Army Intelligence Command, was taken into custody on charges of helping to orchestrate Yoon’s plan to declare martial law on December 3.
Noh was reportedly doubling as a fortune-teller while exploiting his extensive network in the military and government to meddle in military promotions and later intervened in the planning and imposition of the martial law decree.
Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, have long been dogged by allegations that they frequently consult fortune-tellers on key matters, ranging from relocating the presidential office and residence to selecting dates for official overseas trips.
This practice might have extended to the planning of the martial law decree, critics say.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that the date of the failed coup was chosen based on advice from fortune-tellers,” said Lee Jun-han, a political-science professor at Incheon National University.
“Such bizarre revelations are likely to continue as investigations into the martial law fiasco progress.”
In 2023, Noh advised then-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun that the president should declare martial law this year, arguing that Yoon’s fortune pointed to favourable outcomes for him during this period, the conservative Chosun daily reported Monday, citing investigators.
Kim had initially opposed the idea due to concerns such as the US presidential election but he was “elated” by Noh’s advice and changed his stance, the daily said.
Yoon’s links to fortune-telling have been a topic of public controversy since 2021 when he appeared at a televised debate for the conservative People Power Party’s presidential primary with the Chinese character for “king” (王) written on his left palm.
During the debate, he admitted that he and his wife had met a self-proclaimed fortune-teller named Cheongong and watched his YouTube channel.
Cheongong was said to have advised Yoon on the timing of his resignation as prosecutor general to run for president.
Last week, Cheongong claimed in a video that Yoon, facing mounting impeachment threats, could reverse his fortunes within three months “with the help of the heavens”.
Yoon was impeached on Dec 14 and is suspended from office pending a decision by the country’s constitutional court. He has refused to cooperate with investigations after being summoned for questioning as the alleged “leader of insurrection”.
Meanwhile, Yoon’s ruling People Power Party is hampering the opposition’s efforts to fill three vacant seats in the constitutional court, which is delaying a ruling on his impeachment.
During police interrogations, Noh admitted giving then-defence minister Kim advice based on Yoon’s saju palja – a traditional Korean fortune-telling practice analysing the “four pillars” of birth: year, month, day, and hour.
Police recently seized a notebook from Noh’s fortune-telling shop, “Baby Bodhisattva”, in Ansan City, near Seoul. The notebook allegedly contained detailed plans for implementing emergency martial law.
Noh, Kim Yong-hyun and three senior military commanders have been arrested on charges of plotting the martial law declaration, with Noh also accused of planning the operational details of Yoon’s failed bid.
Investigators revealed that the exchange between the former defence minister and Noh occurred months before Yoon declared martial law, accusing opposition parties of paralysing state affairs in collusion with North Korea.
Media reports say at least four other self-proclaimed fortune-tellers have boasted about their ties to Yoon and his wife, including one who allegedly performed a shocking ritual involving the flaying of a live cow as a sacrifice.
A leaked 2021 phone conversation has further stoked the scandal, revealing Kim Keon-hee bragging about her skills in fortune-telling. “I am better at fortune-telling than anyone else,” she claimed during the call with a journalist from Voice of Seoul.
Choi Jin, head of the Institute for Presidential Leadership, criticised the role that fortune-telling might have played in the martial law saga.
“The serious implications of the martial law disaster are being overshadowed by headlines about divination, fate, and rituals. This only adds to public outrage over the self-coup attempt,” he said. - South China Morning Post
