Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

Haedong Yonggungsa stands on the coast of Sirang-ri in Gijang County, Busan, and belongs to the Jogye Order; it is known as one of the sacred sites of Gwaneum. Once privately owned, it became in 2021 a branch temple of Hwaeomsa, the head temple of the Order's 19th parish, by one account, while another says it was then still awaiting approval. By the temple's own account it was founded in 1376 by the monk Hyegeun, royal preceptor to King Gongmin, burned down during the Imjin War and was rebuilt in the early 1930s by the monk Ungang of Tongdosa, and took its present name in 1974.

Background

Haedong Yonggung Temple is a Buddhist temple in Gijang County, Busan, in South Korea, and one of the few large temple complexes in the country set by the sea. The temple says it was first built in 1376, although that claim has been questioned. Its closeness to Haeundae Beach and the east of Busan makes it popular with sightseers, above all at Buddha's Birthday, when paper lanterns decorate the grounds. It honours Haesu Gwaneum Daebul, the Sea Goddess Buddha of Mercy, an aspect of Gwaneum.

Source: Wikipedia, "Haedong Yonggungsa"

What's there

• The seaside setting - one of the few large temple complexes in Korea built by the sea.
• Haesu Gwaneum Daebul - the Sea Goddess Buddha of Mercy, an aspect of Gwaneum, whom the temple honours.
• The lanterns of Buddha's Birthday - when paper lanterns decorate the grounds and sightseers crowd in.
• The name - given in 1974, by the temple's account, after the monk Jeongam dreamt of Gwaneum in white rising to heaven on a dragon.

When to go

The articles name no season, though the temple draws the most sightseers at Buddha's Birthday, when it is hung with paper lanterns.

Practical notes

The founding date is disputed. In 1999, after the Gijang Cultural Center and local residents questioned it, the county office withdrew the 1376 story as unconfirmed, and the centre's director said the temple was only 20 to 25 years old; local residents and historians hold that it was newly built in the 1970s on an empty plot.

Nearby

Haeundae Beach is about 6.6 km west-south-west, the centre of Gijang about 6.9 km north and the centre of Busan about 13.5 km west, all in a straight line.

Key facts