From Reform to Social Engagement: Steady Stream of Mourners at Ven. Myungjin's Funeral Altar

Condolences from All Sectors at Bongunsa Temple's Seonbuldang Hall... Memorial Service on the 25th
Led 1994 Jogye Order Reform, Disclosed Bongunsa's Finances
Nine-Year Conflict with the Jogye Order Concluded Early This Year
President Lee Jaemyung, Former President Moon Jae-in, and Other Leaders Express Condolences

A steady stream of mourners has been visiting the funeral altar for Ven. Myungjin at the Seonbuldang Hall of Bongunsa Temple in Gangnam District, Seoul. Having stood at the heart of the 1994 Jogye Order reform movement and led both a 1,000-day prayer and the disclosure of temple finances during his tenure as head of Bongunsa Temple, he was known as an “engaged practitioner” who actively voiced his views to both the Buddhist order and the political establishment. He passed away about half a year after finally resolving a longstanding conflict with the Jogye Order, which had persisted since his expulsion in 2017.

The funeral hall for Myungjin, the former head monk of Bongeunsa Temple who passed away on the 22nd in Seogwipo, Jeju, was set up on the 23rd at Seonbuldang Hall in Bongeunsa Temple, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to Buddhist community sources on the 24th, Ven. Myungjin’s funeral will be held as a joint religious and civic ceremony, with participation from both the Buddhist community and broader civil society. Since the funeral altar was set up the previous day at the Seonbuldang Hall of Bongunsa Temple, members of the Buddhist order, lay believers, and citizens have continuously come to pay their respects. The memorial service will take place at 10:00 a.m. on the 25th at Bongunsa Temple, after which a cremation ceremony will be held at Beopjusa, the head temple of the Jogye Order’s 5th district, where Ven. Myungjin first became a monk.

Ven. Myungjin was found floating in the sea near Haye Port in Seogwipo, Jeju, at approximately 9:38 a.m. on the 22nd. He was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead at 10:28 a.m. He was 76 years old, with 52 years in the monastic order. At the time he was found, he was wearing a mask, snorkel, diving suit, and fins. Ven. Myungjin had reportedly practiced freediving in Jeju for years, but the exact cause of the accident has not been determined. His primary disciple, Yoo Byung-moon, suggested that, based on the location, he may have suffered cardiac arrest while swimming in the sea rather than while freediving in deep waters. As there were no signs of trauma or indications of foul play, an autopsy will not be conducted.

Born in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, in 1950, Ven. Myungjin began his monastic life as a postulant at Baekryeonam Hermitage of Haeinsa Temple in 1969. He served in the military, including deployment to the Vietnam War, and received novice monk precepts in 1974 at Beopjusa, under the guidance of Ven. Tanseong. He then practiced for over 20 years at meditation halls in Songgwangsa, Haeinsa, Bongamsa, Yonghwasa, and Sangwonsa, completing 40 intensive retreats (ango) in total.

The expansion of his life as a practitioner to broader social engagement began in the mid-1980s. According to his official Jogye Order biography, it was in 1985, through university students evading arrest at Haeinsa Temple, that he first encountered video footage documenting the realities of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. The following year, he participated in the “September 7 Haeinsa National Monks' Assembly,” which called for the independence of Buddhism from political power. In 1994, he served as an executive member of the Jogye Order Reform Conference, which protested against then-Executive Director Seo Ui-hyun’s third consecutive term, and became a core leader during the Jogye Order reform. Afterward, he held posts such as a representative and vice-chair of the Jogye Order’s Central Religious Council, and as head of the Jogye Order’s Center for the Promotion of Korean Unity.

He became widely known to the public after becoming the head monk of Bongunsa Temple in 2006. Upon taking office, he declared, “A temple must be true to its purpose,” and commenced a 1,000-day prayer retreat in December of that year, not leaving the temple grounds. During his term, he promoted transparent temple management by publicly disclosing the temple’s budget and finances in 2007 and encouraging participation of lay believers in temple council meetings. The only time he left the temple during his 1,000-day prayer was in 2009 to attend the funeral of former President Roh Moo-hyun. After completing the prayer, his first visit was to the site of the Yongsan Tragedy.

On the 23rd, citizens are paying their respects at the funeral hall set up for former head monk Myungjin at Bongeunsa Seonbul Hall in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

In 2010, the conflict with the Jogye Order’s headquarters intensified over the decision to designate Bongunsa Temple as a directly managed temple of the Jogye Order. Ven. Myungjin claimed there was external political interference at the time and left Bongunsa Temple in November 2010 when his term as head monk ended. He continued to criticize both the Jogye Order’s leadership and the then-administration. In a 2017 investigation by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Reform and Development Committee, it was confirmed that during the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Blue House had instructed the NIS to monitor Ven. Myungjin and that the NIS had worked to generate negative online sentiment against him. However, there was no evidence found to support allegations that the NIS had directly intervened in his removal from the head monk position at Bongunsa Temple.

The conflict with the Jogye Order continued for years. In 2017, the Jogye Order imposed its highest disciplinary penalty by expelling Ven. Myungjin, who subsequently filed a lawsuit in 2023 to invalidate the expulsion. The courts ruled in his favor in both the first and second trials. After neither the Jogye Order nor Ven. Myungjin appealed the appellate court's decision in January this year, the conflict, which had lasted nearly nine years, came to an end and his monastic status was restored. At the time, the Jogye Order said, “We seek to heal past conflicts and move forward toward mutual prosperity.”

The notice of Ven. Myungjin’s passing has prompted an outpouring of condolences from the religious, political, and civic sectors. President Lee Jaemyung stated, “I share the sorrow of losing a great leader of Korean Buddhism with all the people,” and commemorated the late monk's life of equality, peace, and compassion. Former President Moon Jae-in also paid tribute, recalling Ven. Myungjin’s efforts for democratization, peace, unification movements, and his solidarity with those in suffering.

Jeon Seonghwan, Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society, visited the altar on the afternoon of the 23rd to pay his respects. On the 24th, Minseok Kim, leader of the Democratic Party, together with party representatives, and Minister Choi Huiyoung of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, are scheduled to visit the funeral altar. Civic groups, including the Baek Giwan Nonamegi Foundation, of which Ven. Myungjin was a co-chairman, and the National Emergency Council, also commemorated his actions, noting his advocacy for the socially disadvantaged and leadership in Buddhist reform.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.