SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - Ven. Jinwoo won reelection Thursday as head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, becoming its first chief executive in 13 years to secure a second term.
Jinwoo, the incumbent 37th president of the Jogye Order's General Affairs Office, was elected the order's 38th president with 183 votes, or 57 percent, in an indirect election held at the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall in central Seoul.
All 321 members of the electoral college took part in the vote.
His rival, Ven. Gyeongwoo, a former head monk of Seonunsa Temple, received 138 votes, or 43 percent.
Jinwoo received his certificate of election shortly after the vote. He is expected to begin his second four-year term on Sept. 28 after approval from the order's council of elders on Friday.
The result makes Jinwoo the first Jogye Order chief to win reelection since Ven. Jaseung, who secured a second term in 2013. It is also only the second successful reelection bid for the post since the order's internal reform in 1994.
The president of the General Affairs Office is the most powerful administrative position in the Jogye Order, which oversees about 3,500 temples and 12,000 monks nationwide. The office controls the order's general administration, external affairs, temple appointments, property supervision and a budget worth more than 100 billion won. The post is also seen as representing Korean Buddhism more broadly, as the officeholder leads several affiliated Buddhist organizations.
Jinwoo was born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and entered monastic life under Ven. Baegun. He received his novice precepts in 1978 and full precepts in 1998.
He later served as head monk of Yongheungsa Temple in Damyang and, from 2012 to 2014, Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong, where he was credited with stabilizing the temple after a gambling scandal and allegations of financial misconduct among its monks.
Jinwoo went on to hold senior posts in the order, including planning director and general affairs director. As general affairs director, he served as acting head of the order in 2018 after then-President Seoljeong was removed from office.
He later served as head of the order's education office from 2019 to 2022, before being endorsed by major factions in the order's Central Council and elected the 37th president in 2022 as the sole candidate, without a vote.
Unlike in 2022, this year's election was contested. Jinwoo campaigned on stability during his first term and pledged to move Korean Buddhism into a new phase of growth. Questions were raised during the campaign over the timing of his full precepts and his monastic registration, but the order's election committee cleared him to run.
AJP Takeaways
· Ven. Jinwoo won reelection as head of the Jogye Order with 183 of 321 votes.
· He becomes the order's first reelected chief in 13 years.
· His second four-year term is set to begin Sept. 28 after elders' council approval.
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