Ex-intelligence commander consulted shaman on military plans

[Anchor]

Former defense intelligence commander, Noh Sang-won, has been reported to have visited a shaman in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, dozens of times while also working as a fortune teller.

He inquired about military-related figures, including former Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and particularly asked about the success or failure of events planned for this summer.

Reporter Oh Jung-hyun has the details.

[Report]

This is a fortune-telling house in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do.

It is said to be the place Noh Sang-won began visiting in Feb. 2022.

The shaman claims that Noh has visited in person about 30 times.

There are over 40 voice recordings of Noh confirming his appointments.

[Noh Sang-won/Former Commander of the Intelligence Command/Jan. 2024/On the phone with the shaman: "I came to the countryside today to see if you might have time. (There's a backlog of customers...)]

The shaman claims that Noh was particularly curious about the future of former Minister Kim Yong-hyun and asked about the loyalty of about ten soldiers by providing their names.

[Lee Seon-jin/Shaman: "He always brought up Kim Yong-hyun. He said that Kim had to do something for him to go (to the presidential office). He wanted to know if there was someone on the (military list) who would betray him."]

Additionally, although he did not explicitly mention 'martial law,' he began asking about the success or failure of events planned for the future since early last year.

The time Noh pointed out was this summer.

This coincides with when former Minister Kim Yong-hyun was nominated for Minister of National Defense.

[Lee Seon-jin/Shaman: "He mentioned that if things go well, he would be able to just stay in Seoul around summer."]

It has not yet been confirmed exactly when the emergency martial law was planned.

There have been various indications, such as meetings among related parties since November last year and mentions by the president in March this year.

The shaman in Gunsan stated that they are looking for a notebook where Noh wrote down the names of the soldiers he provided.

If it can be confirmed whether the list matches those involved in the martial law, it may bring us closer to a specific timeline.

This is KBS News, Oh Jung-hyun.