Will Yoon be caught up in yet another scandal?

A shaman reportedly close to President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, was arrested by the prosecution Tuesday in connection with political funding allegations, drawing attention to whether the case will turn up new allegations related to the presidential couple.

The prosecution announced that its joint investigation unit on virtual asset crimes arrested the 64-year-old shaman surnamed Jeon and initiated a search and seizure operation at his house in relation to political funding during the 2018 local elections.

Two smartphones secured during the operation are being examined by the prosecution.

The authorities clarified that the investigation involving Jeon was unconnected to any investigations into Yoon. But allegations that Yoon and Jeon were connected surfaced during his presidential campaign. Some have speculated that the shaman played a significant behind-the-scenes role, effectively acting as the de facto leader of Yoon's campaign team.

Local reports published images from a video that show Jeon introducing campaign staff members to Yoon, during his visit to the office of a networking subcommittee within the election campaign committee in 2022.

While guiding Yoon to the office, multiple physical and verbal gestures were made by Jeon. Lawmakers from the campaign team of Yoon's rival, Lee Jae-myung, had urged voters to stop supporting the conservative candidate at the time, accusing Yoon of being controlled by shamanism.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea, condemned Yoon, saying that he would not be able to make state decisions.

The People Power Party had denied the allegation, saying Jeon was not involved in an advisory role of the networking subcommittee. The party also announced that Jeon worked as a manager for part of a Buddhist organization under the Jogye Order and is not a shaman.

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism -- the largest Buddhist sect in Korea -- denied these claims, saying that it has no member matching Jeon's name and birth date.

The People Power Party later changed its stance after reports revealed that the shaman had served as an adviser to Covana Content, an exhibition planning company previously managed by Yoon's wife Kim Keon Hee. The PPP then stated that Jeon was a close acquaintance of both Yoon and Kim.

In an attempt to put the controversy to rest, the People Power Party decided to disband the networking subcommittee in January 2022.

Yoon experienced growing political isolation with multiple political scandals, particularly one involving Myung Tae-kyun. In October, public attention focused on Myung over allegations of interfering in candidate nominations in the 2022 parliamentary by-elections through his ties with then presidential candidate Yoon.

Myung, who runs a public polling agency, is suspected of receiving approximately 90 million won ($62,600) from Kim Myung-sun, in exchange for securing the nomination for her, a former People Power Party lawmaker. He is also suspected of receiving money from Kim Keon Hee for conducting customized polls in favor of then PPP presidential candidate Yoon.

"Myung revealed that he received money from Kim (Keon Hee) twice, but he said it was not a quid pro quo between him and her," the prosecution said after conducting an investigation in mid-November.

Meanwhile, the opposition-led National Assembly passed a bill to mandate a special counsel probe into two key allegations involving first lady Kim -- involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and interference in election nominations through Myung -- on Dec. 10.

The bill marked the Assembly’s fourth attempt to probe the first lady after similar proposals were vetoed by Yoon.