Yul Kwon:
Welcome back. Last week, South Korean Buddhists were supposed to be celebrating the birth of the Buddha, but their celebration was mired by a new scandal involving Buddhist monks. So what were the monks doing? Gambling, drinking and smoking. Here's MBC with the story.

Reporter:
Venerable Seong-ho, a Buddhist monk who was the former head of Geumdang Temple, answered questions about his allegations at the prosecutors' office. He accused eight monks of illegally gambling with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ven. Seong-ho:
This gambling video is a sword of truth for reforming the corrupt, largest Buddhist order, Jogye.

Reporter:
He insisted there would be more revelations to come about Venerable Ja-seung, the president of Jogye Order.

Reporter:
Do you have more stories to reveal?

Ven. Seong-ho:
Yes, so many.

Reporter:
Is it related to the president of Jogye Order?

Ven. Seong-ho:
Of course.

Reporter:
Before going to the prosecutor's office, Venerable Seong-ho did a radio interview on MBC. He said gambling monks are an open secret.

Ven. Seong-ho:
One monk went to the Philippines, Macao or Las Vegas. He changed out of his robes, played slot machines, and lost a few million dollars.

Reporter:
He also asserted that one of the senior monks in Jogye Order has a secret wife. Prosecutors plan to bring in eight monks and question their involvement in gambling after the investigation of Venerable Seong-ho is over. Meanwhile, Jogye Order made a public apology to citizens and Buddhists. The president of Jogye Order, Venerable Ja-seung, is conducting 108 ceremonial bows for 100 days to show penance.