Photo: Master Geonjin's chamber with a statue of Amaterasu. Credit: JoongAng Ilbo.
A persistent theme in Yoon Suk-yeol 윤석열’s misbegotten presidency was his connection to various shamans and spiritual advisors. (See previous coverage, “Anal Acupuncture and True Law.”) On July 15, investigators for special prosecutor Min Jung-gi 민중기 raided the temple of one of the shamans, Master Geonjin 건진법사 - and made a surprising discovery.
Master Geonjin, whose birth name is Jeon Seong-bae 전성배, was accused of peddling influence in the 2022 Local Elections 지방선거 and passing on expensive jewelry and purses to former First Lady Kim Geon-hee 김건희 전 영부인 on behalf of the Unification Church 통일교. Geonjin’s temple - a converted two-story house in Gangnam-gu District, Seoul 서울 강남구 - was previously raided in December 2024, but the special prosecutor’s team returned after receiving a tip that the earlier raid missed a spot.
Upon their return on July 15, investigators discovered two secret chambers in Geonjin’s temple - one in the first-floor garage, and another, hidden behind a large Buddha statue on the second floor, that Geonjin may have used to hide valuables or sensitive materials.
The investigators also noted that in a different room, Geonjin had a statue of Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial house. Geonjin’s worship of a Japanese deity strikes most Koreans as bizarre, even by the standards of shamans. Some commentators noted that the Yoon administration was unusually servile in its dealings with Japan, and wondered whether the Amaterasu-serving shaman played any role.
