Buddhism Under Siege in South Korea

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Buddhism Under Siege in South Korea

http://members.porchlight.ca/blackdog/siege.htm

 

They Seek to Destroy Us

 

A Chronology of Fifteen Years of Incidents Against Buddhism in

South Korea

 

The following is an incomplete listing of defamations, acts of

vandalism and arson attacks against Buddhist temples and facilities

in

South Korea which have occurred since 1982 and which have earned the

attention of the news media and the dismay of the Buddhist

population in

the country.

 

Buddhism under Siege 1982-1996 : Fifteen Years of Incidents

Against Buddhism in South Korea including at least twenty temples or

Buddhist shrines seriously damaged or totally destroyed by arson

since

1986.

 

Sources :

Newspapers :

Dong A Ilbo daily newspaper (Seoul), May 2, 1990, p. 1

Pulgyo Shinmun weekly newspaper (Seoul), May 28, 1996, p. 4

Pôp Po Shinmun weekly newspaper (Seoul), May 15, 1996

Hyôndae Pulgyo weekly newspaper (Seoul), May 22, 1996

Kitokkyo Shinmun weekly newspaper (Seoul), July, 1996

advertisement

(Other major dailies and such weeklies as the Haedong Pulgyo

and

regional papers have not been consulted at this time.)

 

 

Reports :

We have also corroborated and compared reports of incidents

with

records maintained in the headquarters of the Chogye Order in Seoul

and

the official written police report on the incidents at Hwagyesa,

Pônwôn

Chôngsa and Samsông Am (Hermitage).

 

TV :

A cable TV report (BTN) of the Pônwôn Chôngsa and Samsông Am

incidents was also consulted.

 

(The modified McCune-Reischauer system of transliteration as

appears in the Korea Journal of the Korean National Commission for

Unesco is utilized for Korean names)

 

1982 May.A man by the name of Myông Chinhong organizes

religious

gatherings in Seoul to publicly denounce Buddhism. He erects a

banner

"Jesus Heaven, Buddhism Hell!" He claims to have once been a Buddhist

monk who has "repented," though no records can be found to support

the

claim of his ordination. Using this claim, he puts up posters

claiming:

"A Dharma Hall is a hall of demons."

 

1983 March 1. During a Christian revival meeting held on the

occasion of Korean Independence Day observations, a woman falsely

claims

to have been the daughter of a famous Zen master and revered national

independence hero, Paek Yongsông. She makes statements denouncing

Buddhism.

 

1984 February. Red crucifixes are painted on priceless temple

wall

paintings at Muryangsa Temple and Ilsônsa on Samgaksan Mountain

outside

Seoul. Dirt is smeared on the paintings and on a statue of the Buddha

located outside one of the temples. A large ancient carving of the

Buddha chiselled into stone is damaged with axe-like instruments.

 

May. Ignoring the pleas of Buddhist leaders, the Roman Catholic

Church invites Pope John Paul II to visit South Korea to celebrate

the

bicentennial of the church in Korea. This event happens to fall

during

the annual national Buddha's Birthday holiday celebrations. Because

it

is the first ever visit of a Roman pontiff to South Korea, and

because

the Vatican announces that 93 Koreans and 10 French missionary

martyrs

will be beatified as saints during the visit, the visit becomes a

major

national event. It is the first time that a canonization ceremony is

held outside of Rome and the largest number ever canonized at one

time.

This ceremony gives Korea the fourth largest number of Catholic

saints

in the world. When the Pope tours the country, in the days

immediately

preceding and during Buddha's Birthday, there are immense traffic

jams

which diminish attendance at Buddhist events in several key cities.

Buddhist leaders protest the timing of the event as "disrespectful"

and

"in bad taste" because the Korean and Roman Catholic Churches

schedule

the mass beatification ceremonies to take place during Buddha's

Birthday

celebrations, a day sacred to Buddhists and a national holiday.

 

November. In an official Korean textbook, Buddhism is called "

a

fading religion."

 

1985 April. Four major daily newspapers accept and publish

advertisements which assert that the content of the Buddhist

scriptures

are "selfish" in intent.

 

May. A Protestant minister named Kim Jingyu publicly claims to

have once been an ordained monk in the Chogye Order. Though there is

no

record of his ever having been a Buddhist monk, he hangs up banners

which read "Why I Became a Protestant Minister," and organizes

meetings

to denounce the Buddhist faith.

 

September. An individual by the name of Kim Sônghwa organizes a

series of mass gatherings to denounce Buddhism in the cities of

Pusan,

Taegu, Kwangju, and Taejon. (This individual and his wife Kim Mija

regularly advertise their mission to convert the "25 million

Buddhists

of Korea" in the Christian Newspaper Kitokkyo Shinmun, July 1996).

 

October. An unidentified man disrupts a Dharma talk at the

Nûngin

Zen Center by driving nails into the tires of believers' automobiles

parked outside. The perpetrator also pours corrosive chemicals into

various car engines. An accomplice meanwhile uses portable

amplification

equipment to sing Gospel songs up at the Buddhist gathering, located

on

the third and fourth floors.

 

1986 December 6. Several days before the annual Buddha's

Enlightenment celebrations, the Taejôkkwangjôn, the main Dharma

Hall, a

large building of ancient origin at Kûmsansa Temple is completely

burned to the ground in an event which makes top news throughout the

nation. The Hall is listed as National Treasure Number 476, and is

the

central hall in a temple which is a regional headquarters and major

monastic training center for the Chogye Order. A man active in a

local

church is apprehended at the scene, but is released because the

police

claim that, since the fire consumed everything, there is "no

evidence."

Although he admitted to the crime, he is released without being

charged.

Discounting widespread opinion and belief, local police claim that

"religious heretics" are not suspected. However, in an unprecedented

move, the Korean government pays to have the building quickly

rebuilt.

It is widely believed that this unusual action was undertaken to

preempt

the possibility of interreligious strife.

(1 building)

 

1987 December. A fundamentalist Christian by the name of Yang

Shinha from the Tamna Church on Chejudo Island is apprehended after

setting fire to two temples - Kwanûmjôngsa and Taegaksa - completely

burning them to the ground.

(2 buildings)

 

1988 September 25. In the early morning hours, a fire is set at

Pômôsa Temple in Pusan, a major monastic training center of the

Chogye

Order and regional headquarters. The fire completely destroys the

Myôngbujôn (Chijang Bodhisattva Hall- a funeral hall), taking with

it 16

priceless altar paintings of the Buddha. The paintings were

considered

treasures and the hall a registered Cultural Asset. The cause of the

fire is unknown but deemed "highly suspicious" by Pusan city

authorities.

(1 building)

 

December 8. Several days before the annual Buddha's

Enlightenment

celebrations, the Chônggagwôn, the main Dharma Hall on the Kyôngju

campus of Dongguk University is completely burned to the ground.

Arson

is suspected but no one is apprehended.

(1 building)

 

1989 January. A stone lantern and pagoda is destroyed and

statements attacking Buddhism are painted on the temple's gates

Okch'ôn

Am Hermitage located in the Sôdaemun (Hongûndong), Seoul.

 

March. Several individuals enter Kupok Am Hermitageon Samgaksan

Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul and destroy a stone lantern and

stone

pagoda, seriously damage a Ch'ilsônggak (Big Dipper Hall), and paint

red

crucifixes on a large gilded Buddha statue.

 

April. Five to six individuals destroy a Buddha statue and

paint

red crucifixes on a large outdoor Ma-ae Buddha figure carved into the

rock on Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul. In all, some

10

temples are severely damaged or desecrated in the days immediately

before and after the national Buddha's Birthday holidays.

 

April. The Hyangmok Committee of the Seoul City Government

gathers

military reserve forces under its control for a (taesônghoe) church

service. Some of the members are compelled to attend even though they

are not Christian.

 

July 29. The huge main Dharma Hall and a temple dormitory at

Potasa Temple, Oksudong, Sôngdonggu, Seoul are completely burned to

the

ground. A 23-year old follower of the Taesônjillihoe (Great

Conversion

Truth Church) is arrested at the scene. Damage is estimated at $1.1

million according to the Chogye Order report.

(2 buildings)

 

October 27. The huge Taeunjôn, the main Dharma Hall, and a

temple

dormitory at Pohyônsa Temple in Taegu are completely burned to the

ground. Though the modern buildings were erected in 1985, the police

determine that each building must have suffered an "electrical short

circuit," and no further investigations are conducted.

(2 buildings)

 

1990 May 2. Two men break into the Buddhist Broadcasting System

(BBS, the first Buddhist radio station in Korea) in Seoul, two days

before it is due to begin broadcasting a combination of popular music

and Buddhist teaching and cultural programs. They tie up two guards,

and

proceed to destroy all of the radio station's recording and

transmission

equipment. They smash expensive electronic gear and tear up several

state-of-the-art recording booths. At one point, they use a statue of

the Buddha as a battering ram to break through several plate-glass

recording booth windows and use the Buddha's head to damage computer

equipment, sound boards, reel-to-reel decks, and screens. Damage is

estimated in the millions of dollars, and delays the opening of the

station by several months. No arrests are ever made.

 

November. A man by the name of Myông Chinhong falsely claims to

have been a Buddhist monk some 20 years before, and organizes mass

spiritual revivals under the heading, "Why I Became a Minister." In

the

course of his "revivals," this purported "ex-monk-turned minister"

makes

inflammatory and abusive statements about the Buddhism. There is no

record of his ever having been ordained a monk, or living in any

temple.

(See May 1982)

 

Students and parishioners at a Christian theological school in

Pusan misinterpret an ancient, traditional Buddhist death ceremony as

being "slanderous" of Jesus Christ. The name of the ceremony, for

many

centuries called "Yesu-jae," sounds similar to the Korean

pronunciation

and Korean spelling of "Jesus" (Yesu), though the Chinese characters

are

unrelated to Christian vocabulary or sacraments. (It is a traditional

merit-making ceremony in anticipation of death). The students and

parishioners mail a letter of "warning" to Buddhist leaders at

several

area temples, schools, and organizations. The letters slander

Buddhist

teachings, and are plastered on the walls of Buddhist temples and

organizations throughout the city of Pusan.

 

1991 April. Yun Ch'anggyu and Shim Yôngch'o, teachers at the

Taesông High School in Kôch'ang, direct their students (many of them

Buddhist) to recite Biblical passages and sing Christian hymns in

class.

In the same month, the Buddha statue of the Buddhist student club at

Ch'ôngju University is vandalized.

 

Sept. 23. Pudo Am Hermitage at Tonghwasa Temple is destroyed by

fire.

(1 building)

 

Oct. 15. Haeundae Buddhist Mission Bldg in Pusan is destroyed

by

fire.

(1 building)

 

October. The huge main Dharma Hall (Taeunjôn) at Pongwônsa

Temple

in the Shinch'on district of Seoul is totally destroyed by fire. The

hall was registered as Seoul city Cultural Asset Number 68. This

temple

was the headquarters of the T'aego Order, the second-largest Buddhist

sect in Korea at the time of the incident. A guard at the temple

testified to seeing two men flee into the mountains behind the

temple as

the building burst into flames. Local police conclude that there is

no

evidence, that there was probably an "electrical short circuit," and

the

fire was quickly declared "an accident." Three large Buddha statues

and

altar portraits considered treasures are destroyed.

(1 building)

 

November. Military reserves stationed in Kyôngnam Province

(many

of them Buddhist) are forced to attend a Protestant revival meeting,

presumably by a superior officer.

 

The Kwanûmjôn, the Kwanûm Bodhisattva Hall and a large Dharma

Teaching Hall (Sôlpôpchôn) at Sôngjusa in Changwôn city are

completely

burned to the ground.

(2 buildings)

 

P'yo Ch'ajong, a member of the Pedel Church in Pusan, publicly

declares that the world-famous Sôkkuram Buddha statue is a subject of

"idol-worship" and the product of "a heretical religion". He

attempts to

damage the priceless statue, but is stopped. The Sokkuram Buddha was

declared a "World Cultural Treasure" by Unesco in 1995, and has twice

been renovated and preserved with Unesco financial and technical

involvement.

 

1992 April. The Main Dharma Hall on the Kyôngju campus of

Dongguk

University is completely burned to the ground a second time. The

event

makes national news. No arrests are made.

(1 building)

 

December. An unknown assailant cuts the two arms off a statue

of

Maitreya Buddha at Puljosa Temple in Wonju. Various temple artifacts

are

burned and over 100 threatening phone calls are made to the temple

office.

 

1993 February. Colonel (battalion commander) Cho Pyôngshik of

the

17th Tank Battalion, claiming a lack of warehouse space, has the

Dharma

Hall on his base dismantled. The gilded statue of the Buddha is taken

from the Hall, burned, and openly discarded behind the mountain.

Taejon. The event makes national news.

(1 building)

 

April. Within two months of Cho's actions, the Dharma Hall and

stone lantern are damaged at Kimhae Air Base.

 

The Yôngdo Church in Pusan organizes to prevent a temple from

being built beside them, claiming that they "cannot accept the

construction of a place of idol worship" near them.

 

May. At Hyundai High School, all students are required to

attend

church services, and their attendance at these services is reflected

in

their school records.

 

Lee Yun-sun, a teacher at the Paegun Primary School in Uidong,

Seoul, teaches the Christian Bible in his class and declares that any

Buddhist children in the class are "followers of the Satan," and

excludes them from certain class activities.

 

Professor Im In-hûi rejects the admission application of a

Buddhist student. He claims he was only following the orders of the

board chairman of Taejôn Junior College Lee Pyông-ik.

 

Lotus lanterns prepared for Buddha's Birthday celebrations are

destroyed at Pongguksa Temple and Chonjôngsa Temple in the Chôngnûng

district of Seoul.

 

July. An assailant severely damages the Buddha statue and other

Buddhist artifacts in a Buddhist meeting room at Sônggyungwan

University

in Seoul. Valuable religious objects are not stolen but thrown into a

garbage basket.

 

1994 May. Before and after Buddha's Birthday, various acts of

vandalism and desecration are inflicted upon the properties

(especially

the richly painted gates) of Daesôngsa Temple and Kwanûmsa Temple in

the

Saegômjông and Shinch'on districts of Seoul. Approximately 30 acts of

vandalism against Buddhist temples in Seoul are recorded during this

period.

 

The Rev. Yu Sûng-hwan of Yuchongni Church declares that

Buddhism

is "idol worship." He forcibly attempts to "convert" the abbot of

Sudosa Temple to Christianity, even mentioning Korean President Kim

Young-sam, a Presbyterian.

 

According to Dr. Pyôn Sôn-hwan, "the thoughtless speech and

behavior of this minister who understood that the government was

protecting Christianity simply because Kim Young Sam is an elder and

the

alleged remark by the President that he would make 'hymn songs

reverberate throughout the Blue House' at the time of the

presidential

election damaged confidence in the government that was supposedly

based

on the principle of religion and state (politics).

 

June. A fundamentalist Christian enters Mirûk Chôngsa Temple

in

Kwangju and damages the Buddha statue and Dharma Hall.

 

1995 September. A fundamentalist Christian by the name of Pak

Oh-Sun is apprehended after entering and causing serious damage to

five

temples on Chejudo. He burns Buddha statues at the temples, in

addition

to other damage.

 

A Protestant minister is apprehended after painting a large red

cross onto the altar painting behind the Buddha at Mu-ûi sa Temple in

Kangjin, Chollanamdo. He is released without charges. Later an

unknown

person carves a crucifix below the same Buddha image.

 

1995-96. Students belonging to a fundamentalist Christian group

begin an aggressive campaign of proselytizing on the campus of

Dongguk

University (Seoul), Korea's main Buddhist university. The students

proselytize directly in front of a large statue of the Buddha - the

campus symbol and central meeting-point - making anti-Buddhist

statements and handing out Christian literature to ordained sangha

members.

 

1996. President Kim Young Sam attends services at a Protestant

church located on the nation's central military base at Kyeryôngsan

Mountain. In an event which sends shock waves throughout Buddhist and

Catholic circles in Korea, many troops based there are compelled to

attend the service in order to create the appearance of a larger

number

of Protestant troops. (Many of the troops are not Protestant

Christians, and many are not even Christian.) Moreover, people

attending

services at a nearby temple and Catholic church are placed under

virtual

"house arrest," their religious sanctuaries being encircled with

troops

while the President makes what is deemed a "preferential" visit to

the

Protestant chapel. Those inside the Buddhist temple and Catholic

church

were made to remain inside for several hours while President Kim

completed his visit. Buddhist and Catholic leaders lodge strong

protests. Some Buddhist leaders perceive the President's actions as

a

license, a virtual "green light" for abusive actions to be taken

against

them, citing the centuries-old tradition in Korea of leaders

signalling,

through thinly-veiled actions, the unstated "allowances" that the

government will make for actions which coincide with "non-

legislateable"

policies.

 

1996. The long-awaited tentative plans related to the new

Education Law are announced by the government's Education Reform

Committee. The plans are based on the educational system of the

Renewal

Church of Christ, and include plans to establish (with government

money)

a special graduate school for the education and training of Christian

ministers. Buddhists lodge strong protests, which are initially

ignored.

Eventually the Committee agrees to restate their objectives at a

later

date.

 

TheWônmi ward office of Puch'on city near Seoul sends official

letters to several Buddhist kindergartens, primary schools, and other

Buddhist organizations and temples. Language in the letters beseeches

them to find "the peace of God and the comfort of Jesus Christ.

 

The swastika - for centuries a symbol of good fortune

throughout

Asia, and also a Buddhist symbol of the same - is replaced on many

flagpoles in Seoul with crucifixes.

 

A large red crucifix is painted in a concrete shelter used by

Buddhist monks for meditation, located one hundred meters above

Hwagyesa

Temple on Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of Seoul.

 

A school teacher by the name of "Lee" at Songwu Primary School

in

P'och'ôn, Kyônggi Province, urges students to attend church services

as

part of their lessons. She forces them to sing certain Christian

hymns

in class to confirm their attendance, and does other "missionary

work"

in her capacity as schoolteacher.

 

April 6. Fires are set to the Abbot's quarters, the lawn

(dried

from the recent spell) and nine other places (out-buildings) at

Pulguksa

Temple in Kyôngju, the most famous Buddhist temple in Korea, seen on

travel posters everywhere.

 

According to the report filed with the headquarters of the

Chogye

Order, a Mr. Kim Yông-shik was caught on the spot and reported to the

police. The police transferred him to a Taegu city mental hospital.

Although he admitted to the crime as "a follower of another

religion,"

he was released without being charged because there was no material

evidence.

(1 building)

 

April 19. Two temples on Samgaksan Mountain on the outskirts of

Seoul are severely damaged by fires which are set within an hour of

each

other. The two-year-old large bell platform at Samsông Am Hermitage

is

burned to its foundation. The assailant(s) also cause damage to the

Main

Dharma Hall, burning holes in the locked doors while trying to gain

access to the sanctuary containing the temple's main Buddha statue.

Damage to the ruined bell platform is estimated at $250,000

according to

police.

(1 building)

 

April 20. Two recently-constructed Dharma Halls at Pônwôn

Chôngsa

Temple are burnt to the ground, and another is severely damaged by

flames, just after midnight. The Nahanjôn enshrined 519 wood statues

of

arhats and bodhisattvas, each of which was painstakingly hand-carved

and

hand-painted over a period of seven years. Damage at Pônwôn Chôngsa

Temple is estimated at $5.6 million according to the local police.

The

unfinished buildings were not insured.

(3 buildings)

 

April 21. The next day, fire is set to the Taejôkkwangjôn, the

main Dharma Hall at Hwagyesa Temple, also located on Samgaksan

Mountain,

within a short walk of Samsông Am Hermitage and Pônwôn Chôngsa

Temple.

Damage is minimal. Two police guarding the temple fail to catch the

assailant, who is interrupted in his task when a monk spots him while

walking to the outhouse. (1st attack on Hwagyesa, home of the Seoul

International Zen Center and living quarters of more than twenty

North

American and European monks and disciples of most successful Korean

Buddhist international teacher, Master Seung Sahn (Haengwôn Sûngsan

sônsa).

 

May 12. Arsonists attack the main Buddha statue in the

Taejôkkwangjôn at Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul for the second time. A

lit

candle is placed in a box of papers and wisk brooms under the main

altar. The fire is quickly extinguished by a passing monk. At the

time,

more than 30 police and army are patrolling the temple in

plainclothes

in broad daylight, but fail to apprehend the assailant. (2rd attack

on

Hwagyesa)

 

May 14. Two days later, again with over 30 police and military

patrolling the temple, a massive fire is set beneath the main Buddha

statue in the Taejôkkwangjôn at Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul for the

third

time. Superb altar paintings, ornate woodcarvings and traditional

wall

paintings are lost. Damage estimated at about $775,000 according to

the

police.

(3rd attack, 1 building seriously damaged).

 

May. Rev. Pae Sông-ho, a Protestant minister, enters the main

Buddha Hall at Ch'ôngryongsa Temple in Chinhae on the southern coast

of

the peninsula. He swings a microphone over his head like a bolo,

smashing the main Buddha statue and damaging beyond repair the altar

paintings hanging behind the main altar. Witnesses who apprehend him

hear him shouting abusive statements about "idol worship" and

that "now

[he] will go to heaven for destroying these craven images." Though

taken

into custody by police, the minister is released within hours with no

charges filed by the local authorities. Damage to the Dharma Hall is

extensive.

 

May 22. Two days before Buddha's Birthday, the main Dharma

Hall at

Mangyông Am Hermitage in Sôngnam, a city bordering Seoul, is burned

to

the ground. Christian fundamentalists active in the area are

suspected

but not investigated.

(1 building)

 

 

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