A man performs 108 bows of respect for President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrested on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, outside the Seoul Detention Center in this undated video. (YouTube)
A man performs 108 bows of respect for President Yoon Suk Yeol, arrested on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, outside the Seoul Detention Center in this undated video. (YouTube)

A video of a South Korean man giving 108 Buddhist bows of respect to President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the detention facility where he is currently held is going viral online, as many express confusion about his use of a religious tribute traditionally dedicated to the Buddha.

The video, posted on a YouTube channel with far-right tendencies, shows an unidentified man bowing in front of the security guards' office at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. "There is even a man performing the 108 bows for the well-being of the president," the YouTuber says in the video.

Yoon, currently under investigation and undergoing an impeachment trial, has been detained in a solitary cell there since his arrest on Jan. 15. He is suspected of leading an insurrection via his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law and the allegedly illegal orders he subsequently gave to high-ranking military, police and intelligence officials.

Several supporters of Yoon have been holding protests near the detention center, at the Constitutional Court where the impeachment trial is occurring, and at the Seoul Western District Court, which issued arrest warrants for Yoon. Last Sunday, scores of pro-Yoon supporters attacked the district court, injuring police officers and inflicting damage on the building in what is believed to have been a search for the judge who issued the warrant.

The 108 bows, a practice rarely observed outside of Korean Buddhism, is intended to free one's mind from anger, anxiety, confusion and doubt, helping to achieve serenity by paying respects to the Buddha. This practice is not usually dedicated to a living individual.

The suspended leader has no direct links to Buddhism. He attended a Catholic church in his youth and was baptized, but he has not made clear what his religion is. Reports say he has mentioned having no religion at this point in his life.

In 2023, the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in the country, accused the Yoon administration of "blatant bias toward Christianity," taking issue with the appointments of figures with strong Christian backgrounds to key government and military positions.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com