5,000 Attendees Gather at Jogye Order Monk Assembly: "President Moon Must Apologize for Religious Bias"

On the 21st, the Jogye Order held a nationwide monks' assembly, claiming government religious bias and demanding an apology from President Moon Jae-in.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] The Jogye Order held a large-scale monks' assembly, criticizing the government's religious bias and urging President Moon Jae-in to apologize.

On the 21st, the Jogye Order held the "National Monks' Assembly for Eradicating Religious Bias and Buddhist Distortion and Protecting the Autonomy of Korean Buddhism" at the Daeungjeon Hall of Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Monks from temples across the country attended the event. The Jogye Order stated that about 5,000 monks participated that day.

During the assembly, numerous criticisms were directed at the current government's religious bias. Wonhaeng Sunim, the Chief Executive of the Jogye Order, said in his address, "Buddhism, which embraced Catholics at the risk of life during the late Joseon Dynasty with integration, compassion, and tolerance, has provided the foundation for Korea, a multi-religious country, to be a model nation without religious conflicts." He added, "However, now there is no sign of the results of the Buddhist community's dedication anywhere." He continued, "Cheonjinaam and Jueosa have become Catholic holy sites, and the fences of national parks provided for public convenience are restricting meditation spaces," adding, "The entrance fees to cultural heritage zones recognized under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act have come to be regarded as tolls."

Deokmun Sunim, Chairman of the National District Head Monks Association, emphasized in his speech, "Today, we must sternly rebuke the government and ruling party to establish the spirit of separation of religion and state as stipulated by the Constitution and to properly restore the autonomy and authority of Korean Buddhism." He stressed, "We must reestablish the dignity of Korean Buddhism with its 1,700-year history and raise the banner of the true Dharma to protect the Sangha and the Buddhist order ourselves."

Jung Moon Sunim, Chairman of the Jogye Order Central Council, wrote in a "Message to the People," "We are aware of concerns about holding the National Monks' Assembly amid the suffering caused by the spread of COVID-19," and criticized the government, saying, "The reason for holding the assembly is that religious bias and Buddhist distortion have reached an intolerable extreme."

The Jogye Order and participants who hosted the monks' assembly urged President Moon to apologize for the current situation in a resolution distributed before the event. They also demanded fundamental measures such as the enactment of anti-discrimination laws to prevent religious bias and Buddhist distortion, as well as special measures for the preservation and succession of traditional cultural heritage.

This is the first time in 28 years since the 1994 monks' assembly that Jogye Order monks gathered under the name of a national monks' assembly. The main agenda of the 1994 assembly was sect reform and the autonomy of Buddhism.

Meanwhile, this assembly was triggered by the Buddhist community's backlash against Democratic Party lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae's remarks during last year's National Assembly audit, where he referred to cultural heritage admission fees as "tolls" and likened temples collecting these fees to "Bongyi Kim Seon-dal" (a folk character known for trickery).