The '王' Character Written on Yoon Seok-yeol's Palm... "Did a Shaman Write It?" VS "A Supporter Wrote It for Him"

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, sparked controversy on the 1st by writing a character that appears to be 'King (王) of wages' during the party's presidential primary TV debate.
[Photo by MBN News, YouTube capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Controversy has arisen over former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol attending a TV debate with the character for "king" (王) drawn on his palm. In response, Yoon's camp explained, "Supporters wrote it as a form of encouragement, and he was unable to erase it before the debate started."

On the 1st, Yoon Seok-yeol engaged in a heated exchange with candidates including Ahn Sang-soo, Won Hee-ryong, Yoo Seung-min, Choi Jae-hyung, Ha Tae-kyung, Hong Jun-pyo, and Hwang Kyo-ahn during the 5th broadcast debate of the People Power Party's presidential primary held at the Maeil Business Newspaper Media Center in Pildong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

During the debate, the character written on Yoon's palm was caught on camera as he answered questions from competing candidates. A small character resembling 王 was visible in the center of his left palm.

After the broadcast, netizens focused on the writing on Yoon's palm. Comments included, "It seems like he’s deliberately showing it," "Does it mean he considers himself a king?" and "Looks like he wants to be king."

Some speculated, "It seems like it was written by a shaman," raising suspicions that it might have some mystical significance.

In response, Yoon's camp explained, "A few elderly female residents in the neighborhood stopped Yoon and wrote it as encouragement, saying 'Do well in the debate.'"

They added, "It was drawn following the palm lines. At first, we tried to wipe it off with wet tissue, but it didn’t come off. Even after using a cleansing agent with alcohol, it still didn’t erase. Ultimately, it remained and was broadcast as is."

Although Yoon's camp insists it was a one-time incident, the controversy continues. This is because it is not the first time the character 王 has been seen on Yoon’s palm.

Previously, the character 王 was also visible on Yoon’s palm during the 4th MBC 100-Minute Debate held on the 28th of last month and the 3rd Channel A-hosted broadcast debate on the 26th of last month.

As a result, videos from previous debates have circulated on internet communities, leading to suspicions that the writing on Yoon’s palm might be a tattoo.

Hong Jun-pyo, a lawmaker who is Yoon’s main rival, wrote on his social media on the same day, "Even shamans are getting involved in the presidential primary, and this election is really turning into a low-quality election." This appears to be aimed at the controversy over Yoon’s palm writing.

Hong added, "Not only are there candidates involved in the Daejang-dong corruption scandal and various other corruption allegations, but now shamans are appearing as well in what is the worst presidential primary in history."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.