Former Bongeunsa head monk Myeongjin dies in Jeju diving accident

The Ven. Myeongjin, a former head of Bongeunsa temple in central Seoul and a longtime advocate for reform within South Korea’s largest Buddhist order, died Saturday while freediving off the coast of Jeju Island. He was 75. According to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and local authorities, Myeongjin was found floating near Haye Port in Seogwipo at about 9:30 a.m. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:29 a.m. Police are investigating the circumstances of his dea