A second Kim Keon-hee? South Korea’s presidential race marred by superstition claims

South Korea’s presidential race has been shaken by allegations that the wife of conservative front runner and former acting president Han Duck-soo is deeply involved in superstitious practices – claims Han has strongly denied.

The controversy has drawn comparisons to past accusations against former first lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol, whose alleged ties to shamanistic beliefs sparked public backlash amid concerns that spiritual advisers might be influencing key state decisions.

The latest claims were made by Park Jie-won, a veteran lawmaker from the progressive Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). In a bombshell statement he made on a radio news show on April 15, Park described Han’s wife, Choi Ah-young, as a “mother of superstition”.

While criticising Han as “indecisive, timid, and politically untrained”, Park alleged that both Choi and Kim had achieved a “considerable level of shamanism” and were “highly ambitious politically”.

“When it comes to shamanism, however, Han’s wife is not merely a second Kim Keon-hee – she is her mother in superstition, metaphorically speaking,” Park said during multiple radio interviews and YouTube appearances.

He claimed personal familiarity with the Han couple, citing his past role as head of the late president Kim Dae-jung’s secretariat while Han served as an economic aide there.