Rev. Bokwang elected Dongguk University president
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Rev. Bokwang
By Chung Hyun-chae
Han Tae-sik, 65, a monk and professor at Dongguk University, was elected president of the school, Saturday, a university spokesman said Monday.
Han, better known as the Rev. Bokwang, is the first Buddhist monk to be named president of the university in 30 years. He will serve a four-year term until Feb. 28, 2019.
He promised to prepare another leap forward for the school with a 109-year history.
“It is imperative that everyone should work together for the development of the university,” he said.
He obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Buddhism at the university in 1975 and 1980, respectively. He then earned a doctorate in the same major at Bukkyo University in Kyoto, Japan, in 1985.
Han served as head of Junggakwon Temple on the school’s campus from 1993 to 1995.
He also served as the dean of international and external affairs from 1999 to 2003 and was the dean of the College of Buddhist Studies from 2001 to 2003.
His election was delayed for about two months as faculty members opposed it because the university’s research authenticity committee accused him of plagiarism.
The election process was also marred by allegations that the Jogye Order, the nation’s largest Buddhist sect, had pressured Han’s rivals to drop out of the race.
His predecessor, Kim Hee-ok, had to give up his re-election bid after his term expired in February, apparently in the face of opposition from the Jogye Order which backed Han.