ID :
195044
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 13:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/195044
The shortlink copeid
Buddhist sect lodges protest against new address system
SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order, on Thursday declared its opposition to a government move to rename all streets nationwide under a new Western-style address system.
The Jogye Order insisted that the new reform would discriminate against Buddhism by removing Buddhist temple names from local street names.
About 200 places named after old Buddhist temples in neighborhoods throughout the country will have new names when the new addresses go into official use on July 29, according to the Jogye Order.
Ven. Jeongman, a spokesman for the Jogye Order, delivered the position when a group of home affairs ministry officials visited Jogye Temple, the sect's headquarters, in central Seoul. It marked the first meeting between the two sides over the issue.
South Korea revised a law to introduce the new address system based on street names in 2009 in an effort to make it easier for people to find locations and to meet global standards.
The government originally planned to allow old and new addresses to be used together for six months before abandoning the old system in 2012. It later decided to delay the full-scale launch of the new system by two years to 2014 to reduce confusion.
The new system will replace the existing inefficient address system that uses names of administrative units and land lot numbers allocated when Korea was under the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. Since not all of the lot numbers were given in serial order, the old addresses have often confused visitors trying to find exact locations.
But the Jogye Order has opposed the new system, which it claims will deprive people of place names with great stories behind them in addition to causing massive confusion and inconveniences to people.
It reportedly plans to launch a nationwide campaign against the new street names while seeking cooperation with civic and cultural groups in favor of current addresses.
The Jogye Order insisted that the new reform would discriminate against Buddhism by removing Buddhist temple names from local street names.
About 200 places named after old Buddhist temples in neighborhoods throughout the country will have new names when the new addresses go into official use on July 29, according to the Jogye Order.
Ven. Jeongman, a spokesman for the Jogye Order, delivered the position when a group of home affairs ministry officials visited Jogye Temple, the sect's headquarters, in central Seoul. It marked the first meeting between the two sides over the issue.
South Korea revised a law to introduce the new address system based on street names in 2009 in an effort to make it easier for people to find locations and to meet global standards.
The government originally planned to allow old and new addresses to be used together for six months before abandoning the old system in 2012. It later decided to delay the full-scale launch of the new system by two years to 2014 to reduce confusion.
The new system will replace the existing inefficient address system that uses names of administrative units and land lot numbers allocated when Korea was under the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. Since not all of the lot numbers were given in serial order, the old addresses have often confused visitors trying to find exact locations.
But the Jogye Order has opposed the new system, which it claims will deprive people of place names with great stories behind them in addition to causing massive confusion and inconveniences to people.
It reportedly plans to launch a nationwide campaign against the new street names while seeking cooperation with civic and cultural groups in favor of current addresses.
