By Kang Seung-woo
Staff reporter
A monk has been found dead in an apparent self-immolation to protest the government's four-river restoration project, police said Monday.
The 47-year-old Rev. Moonsu who belongs to the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order was found dead near a stream by local residents in Kunwi, North Gyeongsang Province.
Police found a suicide note that read, "Abandon the four-river restoration project immediately. The Lee Myung-bak administration must root out corruption, and pay more attention to ordinary people, not the rich."
It also said that Moonsu felt sorry for his family and other Buddhists.
"It was confirmed he purchased gasoline at a gas station earlier in the day," a police officer said. "He seems to have set himself on fire, but we need further investigation."
The Jogye Order dispatched monks to the site where he was found.
It is known that the monk has not been a kingpin in the campaign against the four river project. He entered the Buddhist priesthood in 1986 and served as a student leader at Joong-Ang Sangha University in 1998.
He practiced in several temples including Haein and Tongdo, before serving as the chief monk at Daesan Temple from 2006 to 2007.