It’s been said that to succeed in poker one must “have the patience of Buddha.” As it happens, it appears that a handful of men took that a bit too literally. In a scandal that has shaken South Korea, a group of Buddhist monks were caught drinking and playing high stakes poker in a luxury hotel.
The poker game was allegedly recorded by a fellow monk, but it is unknown whether he was present at the festivities or simply hid the camera in the room knowing the game was going to take place. In the video, eight monks, who are members of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, can be seen sitting on the floor drinking, smoking, and playing cards. The footage was leaked to the South Korean media and in turn broadcast to the entire nation.
A former chief priest of the monk order, Seong-ho (his real name is Jeong Han-young), said that more than 1 billion won ($865,000) exchanged hands during the 13-hour poker session. He personally received the USB drive containing the video from the person who recorded it, but is keeping the man’s identity a secret for his protection (another report says that Seong-ho found the drive on the floor of his temple, though in either case, it does appear that he knows from whom it came).
The revelation that these activities occurred has been devastating to many of the estimated 10 million to 15 million followers of the Jogye order. Not only is gambling outside of casinos illegal in South Korea, but most or all of the money that was gambled in the hotel poker game likely originated from followers’ donations. The Jogye order is the dominant order of the Seon school, which is also the primary school of Korean Buddhism.
Jogye order president Ja-seung released a statement, saying, “We deeply apologize for the behavior of several monks in our order. The monks who have caused public concern are currently being investigated and will be punished according to Buddhist regulations as soon as the truth is verified by the prosecution.”
Six high-ranking officials of the Executive Office of the Jogye Order have resigned, according to an order spokesman. “Six officials, including the director of the administration and the director of finance, stepped down,” he said, adding that Ja-seung has ordered the offending monks to be punished according to Jogye code.
Since the video came out, Seong-ho has also told a morning radio show that two Jogye leaders, including Ja-seung himself, paid for sex at a “room salon” in southern Seoul. Room salons are upscale clubs that tend to cater to well-to-do businessmen, offering alcohol, music, dancing, karaoke, strip shows, and female “companionship.” Sex is not a standard service, though it can be had for the right price.
The female-for-hire incident allegedly took place before Ja-seung was elected president of the order in 2009. Seong-ho said that he protested in front of Jogye Temple in Seoul for more than three months after finding out about what happened. He alleges that he was beaten up by members of the order for his protest, resulting in a three week hospital stay.
Seong-ho was kicked out of the order last year for “bad behavior,” which allegedly included spreading baseless rumors and violence.
