Cultural Heritage Administration: "The Foundation Stone Where President Moon Sat Is Not a Designated or Registered Cultural Property"

"I agree with the criticism that the event was not prepared delicately"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon Jae-in's photo sitting on a temple foundation stone during a commemorative hike for the opening of the southern side of Bukaksan Mountain has sparked controversy. The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "It is not a designated or registered cultural property."

On the 5th, President Moon and First Lady Kim Jung-sook climbed the southern side of Bukaksan Mountain along with Kim Hyun-mo, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, and others. They sat on a lotus-patterned foundation stone at what is presumed to be the site of Beopheungsa Temple and received explanations. The Buddhist community criticized this, saying it showed a lack of awareness regarding Buddhist cultural heritage. They also pointed out that it was problematic that the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, who oversees cultural heritage preservation, took no action.

The Cultural Heritage Administration explained that the foundation stone is not an important cultural property but acknowledged, "We agree with the criticism that the event was not carefully prepared in advance and will be more cautious in the future." They added, "We will strive to fully preserve the precious value of the Beopheungsa Temple site and do our best to widely promote the value of Buddhist cultural heritage."

Beopheungsa Temple is said to have been established during the reign of King Jinpyeong of Silla. Now, only the building site, retaining walls, and foundation stones remain. The cultural sector estimates that the foundation stone on which President Moon and his wife sat was placed in the 1960s.