Choo Mi-ae: "Yoon Seok-yeol's 'White Eyebrow' Controversy... Unable to Break Superstition Like the Wang-Shaped Palm, a Serious Problem"

Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae (left) and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae (Honorary Election Committee Chair) directly addressed the controversy over candidate Yoon's 'white eyebrows' that arose after the recent presidential candidate TV debate, saying, "It seems like they still haven't broken away from superstitions, just like during the 'Wang (王) character' controversy, which is a big problem."

On the 14th, former Minister Choo stated on YTN Radio's "Hwang Bo-seon's Start of a New Morning," "When candidate Yoon visited Cardinal Yeom Soo-jung that morning (of the TV debate), those white eyebrows were not visible," and added, "According to physiognomy, white eyebrows signify success and longevity."

Earlier, during the presidential candidate TV debate held on the 11th, suspicions were raised that candidate Yoon had artificially attached white eyebrows, leading to criticism that, following the 'Wang (王) character' controversy, there might be a recurrence of shamanistic rituals linked to superstition.

On the 11th, during the second presidential debate, a single long white eyebrow hair was visible above Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party candidate's right eyebrow.
Photo by Presidential Candidate TV Debate YouTube screen capture

Regarding candidate Yoon's remark that the Shincheonji raid he ordered was "completely a show," former Minister Choo criticized, "At a time when the government was proposing countermeasures at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to be handled at the whole-of-government level, it is outrageous for the Prosecutor General, who is the head of a central administrative agency and a subordinate to the minister, to call the minister's actions a show."

She refuted Yoon's claim that "the Shincheonji servers were forensically examined more extensively than the raid and handed over to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters," calling it a "100% lie," and explained, "The forensic data was collected when Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, was governor of Gyeonggi Province, and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office opposed using the forensic data."

She further explained, "At that time, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office refused, saying, 'How could the Supreme Prosecutors' Office handle something that is not raid material?'" and added, "I bypassed the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and dispatched forensic agents to Sejong City, where the forensic examination was conducted."

Former Minister Choo also pointed out, "The order to assist through compulsory investigation was given on February 28. Until the 27th, if quarantine investigations were refused or epidemiological investigations obstructed, orders were given to conduct arrests," and criticized, "But when the compulsory investigation was actually ordered, they completely turned around and said to get approval from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

She continued, "I think that between the 27th and 28th, advice from the media-reported monk Geonjin might have been involved. Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee was also seen as a medium, and he probably received advice that if he wanted to become president, it would be better to act gently and quietly without getting his hands bloody, and I think he followed that advice."

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