Jeon Seong-bae is seen in this photo taken Jan. 9. Yonhap

A shaman allegedly involved in the presidential campaign of now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted on charges of taking illegal political funds from a politician who ran for the 2018 local elections, officials said Friday.

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office said it indicted Jeon Seong-bae without physical detention on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

Jeon, better known as Geonjin, is suspected of receiving about 100 million won ($69,027) in illegal political funds from a candidate during the ruling People Power Party's nomination race for the elections.

He is also believed to have played a role in Yoon's presidential campaign prior to the election in March 2022 and has been accused of leveraging his personal connections with the first family to influence business interests.

The indictment follows the prosecution's two unsuccessful attempts to secure a court-issued warrant for Jeon's detention.

However, prosecutors ultimately decided to indict him without physical detention and will not seek another arrest warrant, as the seven-year statute of limitations for violations of the Political Funds Act was nearing expiration, according to sources familiar with the investigation. (Yonhap)