Monks of the Jogye Order conducted och'e-tuji (full prostrations) March 17, 2026 to protest a U.S. request to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz and to call for an end to the fighting.
The Jogye Order’s Social Labor Committee began the prostrations that afternoon in front of Daeungjeon Hall at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul’s Jongno district and continued to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
Ji-mong, chair of the committee, said he could not believe such a horrific reality exists in 2026. He urged the United States and Israel to stop their bombing immediately and called on Iran to halt retaliatory strikes.
Ji-mong warned that initiating war and ordering killings accrues heavy karma that will return. He said dispatching ships to the Strait of Hormuz at Washington’s request would be like walking into the maw of a fire-breathing dragon.
He also urged the South Korean government to reject what he called reckless U.S. demands and called on Washington to withdraw its request to send warships immediately.
About 20 Jogye Order monks, including Ji-mong, carried a banner reading \"Stop war and killing! Oppose sending warships\" and held placards saying \"Stop killing,\" \"Stop the war,\" and \"Oppose sending warships.\"
