President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, while hiking to commemorate the opening of the southern side of Bukaksan Mountain in Seoul on the 5th, sat on a lotus-patterned foundation stone at a temple site presumed to be Beopheungsa Temple and talked with Kim Hyun-mo, the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, who accompanied them. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A civic group has filed a complaint against Kim Hyun-mo, the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, regarding the controversy over President Moon Jae-in and his wife sitting on the foundation stone at the Beopheungsa Temple site.
On the 10th, the Committee for the Protection of the Common People announced that it had filed a complaint with the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters on the 8th, accusing Kim of insult and defamation.
Earlier, on the 5th, President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook, while hiking to commemorate the opening of the southern side of Bukaksan Mountain in Seoul, sat on a lotus-patterned foundation stone presumed to be from Beopheungsa Temple and conversed with Kim, the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, who was accompanying them. When this photo was released, criticism arose mainly from the Buddhist community, pointing to a lack of awareness regarding Buddhist cultural heritage.
Tantan, director of the Central Buddhist Museum, said in an interview with Beopbo Newspaper, "I felt devastated when I saw the photo," adding, "It seems to show the attitude toward sacred relics." Seonggong, head of the Cultural Department of the Jogye Order’s General Affairs Office, criticized Kim’s behavior, stating, "Even if President Moon and his wife were unaware, it is incomprehensible that the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration remained silent while witnessing this."
As the controversy escalated, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Blue House issued explanations. The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "The foundation stone at the Beopheungsa Temple site where President Moon and his wife sat is not a designated or registered cultural property," but also acknowledged, "We agree with the criticism that we did not prepare more carefully in advance and will be more cautious in the future."
The Blue House sought to resolve the situation by emphasizing the President and his wife’s respect and interest in Buddhism. Park Soo-hyun, the Blue House’s Senior Secretary for Public Communication, said on Facebook on the 7th, "At that time, President Moon and his wife respectfully joined their hands and paid respects before Buddha, and the accompanying Blue House aides also sincerely paid respects regardless of their own religions." He also appeared on MBN’s News Wide that day and apologized, saying, "If there was any discomfort, I apologize for the thoughtlessness."
Some voices argued that the President and his wife sitting on the foundation stone was not problematic. Monk Heo Jeong said on Facebook on the 7th, "It’s obviously a foundation stone made by machine to build a new building, so why make a fuss about it being a cultural property?" He added, "Why should sitting and resting on building materials be criticized? If foundation stones are so precious, then don’t put wooden pillars on them either."
Youngdam, director of the Youngdam Hanji Art Museum in Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, said, "I think Buddha would rather be pleased." On the 8th, the monk wrote on Facebook, "As a monk of the Jogye Order, I say that if you come across a foundation stone randomly placed at an empty temple site while hiking, it’s okay to sit and rest for a while." He added, "Please generously forgive the childishness of the Jogye Order in disputing this."
Meanwhile, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism demanded the immediate resignation of Kim and Secretary Park. On the 8th, the Jogye Order issued a statement criticizing, "During the explanation process, the Cultural Heritage Administration, which oversees cultural heritage management in Korea, announced that it is ‘not a registered cultural property,’ and Secretary Park described it as ‘just a discarded stone.’ This confirmed the Moon Jae-in administration’s vulgar perception of undesignated Buddhist cultural heritage."
They further urged, "The Cultural Heritage Administration should actively reflect the importance of undesignated cultural properties in its policies, beyond focusing only on designated and registered cultural properties, and we call for sincere policy changes."
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