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Monks from the Jogye Order of Buddhism, South Korean activists and monks from Myanmar hold a full-body prostration march Friday to protest the coup in Myanmar. (provided by the Buddhist Solidarity for Environment)

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, said in a statement Tuesday, “We are deeply concerned about the Myanmar military’s violent suppression of peaceful protests in Myanmar. We want to express our solidarity with the people of Myanmar.”

The statement, read aloud by Ven. Geum-gok in a public event, said, “Since the military coup in Myanmar took place on Feb. 1, people have been falling victim to state violence in the streets.”

“The history of Myanmar has been the history of civil struggle for democracy against military dictatorships,” the order said. “The Myanmar military has crushed democracy movements many times in its history, and is responsible for the deaths of over 100 protestors and injuries of thousands this year.”

This is the first time the Jogye Order has released a statement supporting the anti-coup movement in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Myanmar activists residing in South Korea were in attendance at the event.

On Friday, monks from the Jogye Order held a 6-kilometer full-body prostration march in Seoul, calling for the restoration of peace and democracy in Myanmar.

“Myanmar is a country of ‘a thousand Buddhas and a thousand pagodas,’ where people all over the world travel to find peace in their lives,” the order said in the statement. “Jogye Order wishes for the sentiment of Buddhist monks in Myanmar, who are pleading for peace on their knees at the feet of the police, to be echoed around the world.”

By Cho Hyun, religion correspondent

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