Ten Buddhist monks allowed in North Korea

by Joseph Yun Li-sun

The ten men belong to the Jogye Order, the oldest and most respected tradition of Korean Buddhism. With the agreement of South Korean authorities, they delivered medical drugs for people in the North. They also visited a northern temple that does not have any pictures of the Kims. “It seems there are real worshippers,” one source told AsiaNews.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – Only religion can save the North Korean people from total destruction. After decades of humanitarian aid, ran mostly by Caritas South Korea, South Korean religious groups, both Catholic and Buddhist, are able to get around the ban on international aid to North Korea imposed by Seoul and Washington. “Ten Buddhist monks arrived in North Korea with government approval to bring essential drugs for the population,” a source told AsiaNews.

The venerable monks from the Jogye Order spent a day in North Korea, entering the border region near Mount Kumgang. The ten men visited one of the oldest Buddhist temples in all of Korea, located in the north, at the foot of the mountain. Inside the place of worship, they did not see any pictures of Kim Jong-il, or his father, Kim Il-sung, an exceptional circumstance since every place of worship in North Korea is usually used to venerate the two dictators.

Monks gave a village chief more than 100,000 anthelmintic tablets to kill parasitic worms. Many North Koreans suffer from them because of poor nutrition and lack of hygiene.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, North Koreans have the worst diet and healthcare in the world.

“What struck me the most was the temple visit. We did not see any of the regime’s symbols but saw those of our faith,” the source told AsiaNews. “Although there were no worshippers, it is clear that someone is keeping the place clean and in order. This filled by heart with hope because it means that there are still some Buddhists in North Korea, even if they are hiding.”