By Yoon Sojung
Photos = Cheong Wa Dae
First lady Kim Jung-sook visited Bongeunsa Temple near COEX to mark the opening of a “traditional culture experience hall” on July 25.
First lady Kim met with the Venerable Jaseung, president of the Jogye Order, Bongeunsa Temple head monk Wonmyeong and other senior religious figures to discuss temple tourism, temple cuisine, formal tea ceremonies, meditation and other features of traditional Korean Buddhism. She also visited the main hall to hold hands in a wish to achieve national unity and unification on the Korean Peninsula.
Approximately 100,000 non-Korean tourists visit Bongeunsa Temple every year to experience traditional Korea, said the temple. The newly built traditional culture experience hall will help the temple win favorable responses from overseas visitors with a range of programs, such as religious cuisine programs, tea ceremonies and Seon, or Zen, meditation classes. All of these are designed to help people to rediscover the value of traditions and to better respond to new demands for such experience programs, according to the temple.