Gimje Geumsansa Temple Highlights Importance as 'Spiritual Center of Later Baekje'

On the 24th-25th, Renowned Scholars from Academia and the Buddhist Community Gather Together

Renowned scholars from academia and the Buddhist community nationwide will gather to highlight the importance of Geumsansa Temple in Gimje during the Later Baekje period.

The city of Gimje, Jeonbuk (Mayor Jeong Seong-ju), announced on the 22nd that it will hold an academic conference over two days, from the 24th to the 25th, at the Cheoryeong Memorial Hall in Geumsansa Temple, Gimje.

This conference will be held under the theme "Later Baekje Buddhism and Geumsansa Temple in Gimje." It holds special significance as a major discussion aimed at clarifying the spiritual core and cultural-historical identity of the Later Baekje period, which has not been fully organized until now.

Panoramic view of Geumsansa Temple in Gimje. [Photo provided by Gimje City]

The city of Gimje is co-hosting the event with the Dongguk University HK Research Group, nationally recognized for its academic authority in the field of Buddhism that dominated the Later Baekje period. The Jeolla Cultural Heritage Research Institute is co-organizing, with support from Jeollabuk-do Province, Geumsansa Temple, and the National Research Foundation of Korea. Scholars from the Later Baekje academic community and the Buddhist community will come together to establish the cultural history of Later Baekje and devote their full efforts.

Geumsansa Temple in Gimje served as a sanctuary that instilled hope for the displaced Baekje refugees after its restoration by the monk Jinpyo, who regarded it as a sacred site of Maitreya thought. It is a place imbued with the spirit of Gyeon Hwon, who founded Later Baekje based on Maitreya ideology in defiance of Silla, and cultural heritage from that time remains.

Mayor Jeong Seong-ju of Gimje stated, "As this is a gathering where scholars from across the country participate together with the academic and Buddhist communities, I expect that various aspects of the Later Baekje history that have not been organized so far will be filled in."

Meanwhile, the outcomes discussed at this conference are planned to be published as an official academic journal after undergoing a verification process.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.