Dobong-gu - Jogye Order Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon Site Utilization Plan 'Starting Point'

Korean Buddhist Jogye Order and Dobong-gu Agree on Utilizing Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon Site, the First Nationwide Coexistence of Buddhism and Confucianism

Jinwoo Sunim, Chief Abbot of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, Visits Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon Site... Meets with Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, and Tours the Site

Positively Responds to Coexistence Plans for Buddhism and Confucianism... Promotes the Nation’s First Buddhist-Confucian Coexistence Utilization Plan at Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon Site

Working-Level Consultative Body Operated by Jogye Order, Dobong Seowon Association, Seoul City, and Dobong-gu... Moves Forward with Concrete Utilization Plans for Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon Site

Jinwoo Sunim, the Chief Executive of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, visited Dobong-gu on the 10th and conveyed a positive intention regarding the practical use plan for Yeongguksa Temple and the site of Dobong Seowon.

Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) has opened a new chapter for the utilization of Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site, designated as Seoul City Monument No. 28, following the visit of Jinwoo Sunim, Chief Abbot of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order.

During this visit, Jinwoo Sunim conveyed a positive intention to Dobong-gu regarding the nation’s first plan to enable the coexistence and joint utilization of Buddhist and Confucian cultural heritage spaces.

On the 10th, Jinwoo Sunim, Chief Abbot of the Jogye Order, along with Planning Director Seonghwa Sunim and Cultural Director Tanwon Sunim, visited Dobong-gu. Chief Abbot Jinwoo met with Mayor Oh Eon-seok to hear explanations about the current status of Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site and personally inspected the site.

Dobong Seowon and the Gakseokgun, designated as Seoul City Monument No. 28 in 2009, is a representative royal Confucian academy founded in 1573 (6th year of King Seonjo’s reign), enshrining Jeongam Jo Gwang-jo and Uam Song Si-yeol. Dobong-gu had planned to restore the aging Dobong Seowon in 2011 and conducted excavation work, but the excavation revealed a large number of relics proving the site was originally Yeongguksa Temple from the Goryeo Dynasty. Among these, ten ritual vessels including Geumgangjeo and Geumgangryeong were designated as national treasures in 2021.

Due to this, there had been disagreements between Buddhism and Confucianism regarding the utilization of Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site. The Dobong Seowon Association consistently wished to rebuild Dobong Seowon at its original location where the shrine stood, while the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order wanted to preserve the original form of the Daeungjeon site, the Confucian shrine site where many treasures were discovered.

The utilization plan for Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site, which had been stalled for 13 years due to differences between the Jogye Order and Dobong Seowon Association, has begun to move forward with this visit by the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order.

Chief Abbot Jinwoo said, “I hope this place will be reborn as a site where the histories of Buddhism and Confucianism coexist and thrive together,” expressing a positive response to the joint utilization of Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site by Buddhism and Confucianism.

O Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu (left), is explaining the current status of Yeongguksa Temple and the Dobong Seowon site to Jinwoo Sunim, the Chief Abbot of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

Going forward, Dobong-gu plans to form a working-level consultative body consisting of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, Dobong Seowon Association, Seoul City, and Dobong-gu to implement mutual agreements and concretize plans for the coexistence of Buddhism and Confucianism in utilizing Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site, designated as Seoul City Monument No. 28.

Mayor Oh Eon-seok of Dobong-gu said, “I deeply appreciate the great decision of the Chief Abbot of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order and look forward to Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site becoming a place of coexistence between Buddhism and Confucianism,” adding, “We will closely cooperate with the Jogye Order, Dobong Seowon Association, and Seoul City to ensure that the utilization of Yeongguksa Temple and Dobong Seowon site proceeds in a balanced manner without neglecting either side.”