SEOUL: A Buddhist monk was found dead inside a temple that had been gutted by fast-moving wildfires in Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang Province, local reports said Thursday (March 27).
The deceased, Ven. Seonjeong, 85, was the presiding monk at Beopseongsa Temple, located in Seokbo-myeon in the southeastern part of South Korea.
He had practiced there for decades.
The temple was engulfed by flames on Tuesday, leaving most of the buildings completely destroyed. His body was found the next day in the temple's annex building, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The late Ven. Seonjeong was named the temple's head monk in 2002 by the Beophwa Order of Korean Buddhism.
Having maintained the temple on his own since then, he was respected by the villagers for his charitable acts.
Kim Jin-deuk, head of the nearby village of Hwamae-ri, was quoted by Yonhap as saying the late monk "had an unusually warm heart. Whenever I had a problem, he would offer advice."
"Because the temple is situated deep in the mountains, even firefighters were unable to reach it," he added.
Since last Friday, a series of devastating wildfires has ravaged Korea's southeast, burning some 36,000 hectares of woodland, according to government data.
About 37,000 people have been displaced, including 29,911 in the Uiseong and Andong areas in North Gyeongsang Province. - The Korea Herald/ANN
