South Korean Buddhist monk slashes himself in protest

The 60-year-old monk used a knife to slit his stomach at Seoul's Jogye Temple, headquarters of South Korea's largest Buddhist sect bearing the same name, said sect official Lee Mi-ran.

The monk, identified by his Buddhist name, the Venerable Sambo, was taken to a hospital and his condition was not life-threatening, Lee said.

She said the monk left a note written in blood that read, "The government of (President) Lee Myung-bak should stop oppressing Buddhism."

Many Buddhists have accused Lee of favoring Christianity over their religion and filling most of his Cabinet and top presidential posts with other Christians.