▲ This Jan. 14, 2026, file photo shows Ven. Jinwoo, elected leader of the Jogye Order for a second term on Sept. 3, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- Ven. Jinwoo, the current leader of the Jogye Order, was elected as the leader of South Korea's biggest Buddhist sect for another term Thursday.

Jinwoo won 57 percent of the vote to beat Ven. Gyeongwoo, who earned 43 percent of the ballot.

Jinwoo is the second person in the Jogye Order's history to win a second term since Ven. Jaseung was elected for his second term in 2013.

As the leader of the country's biggest Buddhist sect, he will oversee some 3,500 temples and 12,000 monks associated with the Jogye Order across the country.

He is set to begin his four-year term on Sept. 28 after receiving approval from the order's elders assembly.

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