Yoon Kwangbong, Professor Emeritus at Hiroshima University, Awarded Wolsan Folklore Academic Prize

Honored for the Book 'Hanguk-ui Bulgyo Minsokgwa Yeonhui Yesul'

The Wolsan Folklore Academic Award Steering Committee announced on the 21st that Professor Emeritus Yoon Kwang-bong of Hiroshima University has been selected as this year's recipient of the Wolsan Folklore Academic Award. The Wolsan Folklore Academic Award is given to scholars who have contributed to the development of folklore studies, in honor of Dr. Im Dong-kwon Wolsan's legacy.

Professor Yoon was honored for his work published this year, "Korean Buddhist Folklore and Performing Arts." The book sheds light on Buddhist rituals embedded in Korean folk culture. It highlights that beneath the Korean Wave (Hallyu) lies a foundation of traditional culture rooted in Shingyo (native Korean shamanism) and Buddhism, and also examines Buddhist folklore in neighboring countries such as Changdo.

The committee stated, "It advocates that Korea's new culture was formed through the fusion of our indigenous Shingyo and Buddhism, which have continued unknowingly since ancient times in Korean tradition?in other words, the meeting of native folklore and Buddhism." They added, "The essence of Hallyu is based on Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, combined with Western elements, and it is essential that our correct history be firmly established in this context."

The award ceremony will be held on the 28th at the Traditional Culture Learning Center of the National Folk Museum.

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