Senior Secretary for AI Ha Jungwoo Inaugurated as President of Cheongbulhoe at Presidential Office: "Toward a Community Where Compassion Is Truly Alive"

Official Launch of Cheongbulhoe at Jogyesa Temple on the 10th
Kang Hunsik: "Hopes It Will Help Unite the People"
Buddhist Community, Including the Jogye and Cheontae Orders, Also Takes Part

Ha Jungwoo, Senior Presidential Secretary for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Future Planning at the Presidential Office, is speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, on Sept. 9, 2025. Yonhap News

The Cheongbulhoe, a gathering of Buddhist practitioners at the Presidential Office, was officially launched with an inauguration Dharma ceremony for its president on the afternoon of the 10th.

The Presidential Office announced in a press release that on this afternoon, the first inauguration Dharma ceremony for the Cheongbulhoe president under the Lee Jaemyung administration was held at the Daeungjeon Hall of Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.

The Cheongbulhoe is a Buddhist gathering at the Presidential Office that was created in August 1996 during former President Kim Youngsam's administration, and its current president is Ha Jungwoo, Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning at the Presidential Office. In December last year, Ha received the Buddhist Dharma name "Hyeu (慧友)" from Venerable Jinwoo, the Supreme Patriarch and President of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

The inauguration Dharma ceremony proceeded in the following order: recitation of the Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hrdaya), offering of lights, and offering of flowers, followed by an inaugural address by Ha Jungwoo, president of the Cheongbulhoe, and an on-site congratulatory speech by Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hunsik. This was followed by a Dharma talk by Venerable Jinwoo, Supreme Patriarch and President of the Jogye Order, and the reading of a vow statement by Kang Yujeong, vice president of the Cheongbulhoe.

In his on-site congratulatory speech, Chief of Staff Kang said, "Buddhism has, in every national crisis, united the people and repelled foreign invasions, and it forms the foundation of our nation's spiritual culture," adding, "I hope that the Cheongbulhoe at the Presidential Office will also carry on that spirit, present a path for our government to follow, and play a major role in uniting the people."

Senior Secretary Ha, who has taken office as president of the Cheongbulhoe, stated, "Although I am entrusted with the role of dealing with the nation's future technologies, the ultimate end of technology must always be oriented toward people, and in that sense it is aligned with the teachings of the Buddha," and added, "I hope that the Cheongbulhoe will grow beyond being a simple fellowship group into a community where practice and sharing, compassion and action are truly alive and breathing."

Venerable Jinwoo, Supreme Patriarch and President of the Jogye Order, emphasized in his Dharma talk, "The Cheongbulhoe at the Presidential Office has so far taken the lead in the succession and preservation of traditional Buddhist culture and has served as a strong bridge connecting the government and the Buddhist community," and added, "I hope that all members of the Cheongbulhoe will set aside impatience in their daily lives, cultivate themselves calmly and diligently, and thereby widely spread the Buddha's Dharma fragrance throughout all corners of society."

Vice President Kang read a vow statement that said, "I will become a humble public servant who serves every single citizen as if they were the Buddha and who looks first to those in lowly positions," and, "Through administration imbued with the Buddha's compassion and wisdom, I will become a beacon of hope for the people."

On this day, the Dharma ceremony was attended by 30 members of the Cheongbulhoe, including Senior Secretary Ha, president of the Cheongbulhoe, and Vice President Kang, spokesperson and vice president of the Cheongbulhoe. Also present were Buddhist leaders such as Venerable Jinwoo, President of the Korean Conference of Buddhist Orders and Supreme Patriarch and President of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Venerable Deoksoo, Senior Vice President of the Conference and Supreme Patriarch and President of the Cheontae Order, as well as Jung Wonjoo, president of the Jogye Order Central Lay Association, Lee Heonseung, president of the National Assembly Jeonggakhoe, and about 150 others including Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hunsik.