Jogye Order, Defeated in Seonamsa Ownership Appeal, Announces "Massive Resistance Movement"

Seonamsa Seungseon Bridge

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, which lost the appeal trial against the Korean Buddhist Taego Order over the ownership of Seonamsa Temple, fiercely criticized the judiciary.

On the 27th, the Jogye Order's National Headquarters Chief Monks Association issued a statement claiming, "The Gwangju High Court's ruling denying the existence of the Jogye Order's Seonamsa Temple is no different from denying the existence of the Jogye Order itself, which has preserved the tradition of Korean Buddhism."

They added, "The judiciary examined the Seonamsa case with the absurd reasoning that since Jogye Order monks do not reside there, the Jogye Order's Seonamsa Temple cannot be considered to exist," and pointed out, "According to this ridiculous logic set by the judiciary, if the Jogye Order wants to claim ownership of Seonamsa Temple, it must exercise effective control. This is causing social confusion and driving the Korean Buddhist community into conflict and physical clashes."

Located in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, Seonamsa Temple is registered as a Jogye Order temple in terms of ownership, but Taego Order monks have occupied the temple for decades, leading to ongoing conflicts between the two sides.

The association raised their voice, saying, "If the Supreme Court also issues a ruling denying the existence of the Jogye Order, we will launch a large-scale resistance movement."

The Taego Order filed a lawsuit to cancel the registration against the Jogye Order and recently won in the second trial.

On the 7th, the Civil Division 1-2 of the Gwangju High Court ruled in the appeal trial to cancel the registration change filed by the Taego Order's Seonamsa Temple against the Jogye Order's Seonamsa Temple and the former chief monk of the Jogye Order's Seonamsa Temple, ordering the chief monk to carry out the registration cancellation procedure.

The court judged that the Jogye Order's Seonamsa Temple has no substance, citing that in the past, Seonamsa monks themselves decided to affiliate with the Taego Order and have conducted religious ceremonies at the temple for decades.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.