If you’d actually read the article it’s clear that it’s government lead protestant attacks against Buddhism and any other faith, and that there have been violent clashes on both sides. I also read nowhere that they burned temples.
“Starting in the 1950s, Syngman Rhee [the president] and others worked to further divide and weaken the Buddhist Sangha in the country. Rhee campaigned in 1954 against the so-called “Japanized Buddhists”. Western education and scholarship, and the empowerment of women and the poor, caused divisions among Koreans. Specifically, a deep rift opened between married priests and celibate monks, a carryover from Japanese Buddhism’s influence during the occupation period, though there had been calls for an end to celibacy from some Korean monks before Japan’s annexation of the Korean peninsula. The differences were so great that fistfights over the control of temples became frequent. Monks, mostly belonging to the celibate Jogye order, threatened to kill themselves. Many of them were against the married clergy. As the Buddhist riots continued, the influence of Buddhism lessened. Buddhism continued to lose followers to Christian missionaries, who were able to capitalize on these weaknesses.
From the 1960s onward, Buddhism has grown considerably, through the formation of independent lay associations (that is, not funded or affiliated to the main orders), with many focused on youths, particularly to propagate and evangelize Buddhist teachings, fellowship and spiritual development, based on the Protestant model. These adaptations have modernized Buddhism in South Korea. Moreover, the South Korean government began devoting substantial funds to restore and reconstruct historic Buddhist temples, helping to revive Buddhism in the country. President Park Chung-hee unsuccessfully attempted during his rule (1961–1979) to settle the dispute by building a pan-national Buddhist organization. However, he did succeed in allying himself with the celibate faction, the Jogye Order.
It was in 1970 that Korean Buddhism split into a fully celibate order which retained the name “Jogye” and the Taego order that includes both celibate and married clergy. When the Jogye order was founded, the government only recognized a small group of celibate Seon practitioners as “legitimate,” thus all of the ritual specialists remained with the Taego order.
In the 1980s, President Chun Doo-hwan, a Methodist, adopted anti-Buddhist policies and attempted to restrict Buddhist activities. During his administration, many historic temples were converted into tourist resorts, which deprived temples of their autonomy, as these “national parks” were government-run. Consequently, Buddhists, especially the Jogye Order, were highly critical of these measures. From 27 to 31 October 1980, during the Kyeongsin Persecution, the government raided major Buddhist temples throughout the country, including the headquarters at Seoul’s Jogyesa, under the guise of anti-government investigations and an attempt to “purify” Buddhism. 55 monks were arrested and many others were interrogated and tortured, including the abbot of Naksansa, who died from the abuses. None of the investigated monks were ever charged, although many were sent to reeducation camps. Throughout the 1980s, the Buddhist community was kept under strict surveillance of government agents and many were prosecuted under false charges of supporting Communists or conspiracy.
To Buddhists, the construct of a state-protecting Buddhism had vanished, which served to radicalize a generation of Buddhists, including monks and laity and propelled them to start a movement called Minjung Buddhism (민중불교 or 民衆佛敎, “practical Buddhism” or “Buddhism for the masses”). This modernization emphasized ordinary people and was a reaction to aggressive Christian proselytization in Korea.
During the 1990s, conflicts between the South Korean government and Buddhist leaders, as well as with fundamentalist Protestant denominations, continued. The government accused Buddhism of immorality and many Protestants used this to forward their missionary work. Some religious gatherings have even turned violent, vandalizing statues of Buddha and Dangun, the mythical founder of Korea. Soon after the Buddhist Broadcasting Service’s FM radio station was launched in 1990, young men vandalized and destroyed sound facilities worth $200,000 USD.
There was also a rash of temple burnings in the 1980s and 1990s, and attacks on Buddhist artwork have continued. In one instance, a Protestant minister used a microphone on a cord as a bolo weapon and smashed temple paintings and a statue. In other instances, red crosses have been painted on temple walls, murals, and statues. Buddha statues have also been decapitated. Furthermore, students at Buddhist universities report aggressive attempts to convert them on campus, especially near campus temples.
On and off, sectarian tensions between fundamentalist Protestants and Buddhists occasionally rise due to what has been seen as a tendency of government officials–many of whom are Christians, especially of Protestant denominations–to tilt the political balance in favour of Christians over Buddhists which has led to discontent within the Buddhist community. Of particular note was after Lee Myung-bak’s ascendence to the Presidency when the high proportion of Christians in relation to Buddhists in the public sector became known–particularly the president’s cabinet, where there were 12 Christians to only one Buddhist.
Recently, the South Korean public has become increasingly critical of Protestant churches and leaders attacking Buddhist institutions and carrying out aggressive missionary tactics, with many Protestants leaving their churches and converting to Buddhism. The growing discontent with Protestant Christianity in South Korea has contributed to a spiritual and cultural revival of Buddhism in South Korea, with the number of followers increasing in recent years. The new presidency of Park Geun-hye aims to help contribute to the suppression of Protestant attacks against Buddhists and Catholics in South Korea, with increasing calls for religious cooperation in the country under the administration. During the first year of the Park administration, a national message was delivered for the celebration of Buddha’s Birthday, a contrast from the former Lee Myung-bak presidency which tried to suppress Buddhist influence in South Korea.
source: wikipedia,
emphasis by me.