SEOUL– Police said Monday they have questioned a former army chief of staff as part of an investigation into claims of a fortune teller’s alleged involvement in the relocation of the presidential residence.
The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier filed a complaint for libel charges against a former defense ministry spokesperson, Boo Seung-chan, and two reporters from the news organizations News Tomato and Hankook Ilbo.
They claimed the fortune teller, known as Cheongong, had visited the candidate sites of the presidential residence, including the former official residence of the army chief of staff, last March.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA) said it has recently brought in former Army Chief of Staff Nam Young-shin for questioning and others who were reported to have been at Nam’s former residence at the time of the fortune teller’s alleged visit.
The SMPA, however, said it has failed to obtain CCTV footage of the day Cheongong allegedly made the visit and will confirm whether it was deleted in due process.
After winning the March 9 presidential election, Yoon carried out his campaign promise and relocated the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan, central Seoul.
The former foreign minister’s residence in Hannam-dong has also been transformed into a new presidential residence. Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee moved into the new residence in November.
Source: Yonhap News Agency