A monk, who set himself on fire to protest Park, dies

A Korean monk was pronounced dead on Monday, two days after he set himself on fire during a mass rally in central Seoul against the country’s impeached president, hospital officials said.

The monk, identified by his surname Seo, had been in serious condition since he poured inflammables on his body and burned himself at around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday during the weekly candlelight vigil joined by tens of thousands of people, according to the officials.

He sustained serious burns all over his body and was pronounced dead at around 7:40 p.m. Multiple organ dysfunction was cited as the main cause of death.

The police suspect the 64-year-old monk tried to commit suicide since he left what is seen as a suicide note in which he called for President Park Geun-hye to immediately step down.

Last month, the country’s parliament voted to impeach the president over an influence-peddling scandal involving her and her longtime friend. She was suspended from her presidential powers while the Constitutional Court reviews the validity of the impeachment.

Yonhap