North, South Korean Buddhists restore ancient temple

North and South Korean Buddhists on Saturday completed the restoration of an ancient temple lost during the Korean War, declaring it a symbol for reunification, news reports said.

The Buddhist Singye Temple in Mt. Kumgang in North Korea was rebuilt to its original state and opened to visitors, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

KCNA said the temple, which had been destroyed by the "barbarous bombing" by the United States during the Korean War 1950-53, was successfully restored to its former glory.

A celebration ceremony drew together hundreds of top Buddhists and cultural officials from North and South Korea, the South's Yonhap news agency said.

"They evinced their resolution to boost the mutual cooperation and solidarity as required by the June 15 era of reunification," KCNA said in reference to a historic inter-Korean summit in 2000.

Jikwan, head of South Korea's mainstream Chogye Order Buddhism, said at the ceremony that the project "brought together the mind and sweat of Buddhists as well as logs, stones, water and dirt in the North and South."

"On the occasion of the restoration of Singye Temple, the North and South must nurture Mt. Kumgang as a symbol for reunfication and push forward exchanges and cooperation among Buddhists in the North and South," he was quoted saying by Yonhap.

His North Korean counterpart Yy Yong-Son said the temple was a "symbol of cooperation and solidarity of Buddhists of the two Koreas and became a prayer site for reunification," according to Yonhap.

Seoul, Sunday, AFP