"Bucheon Handsome" NewJeans' Launch of 'Hip Buddhism'... Rapid Increase in University Clubs

14 New Buddhist Clubs Established at Dongguk University
Increase in Students Participating in "Life Teachings"

Recently, a strong wave of "young Buddhism" and "hip Buddhism" has been sweeping through the "MZ (Millennial + Z) generation." The number of people in their 20s and 30s visiting templestays has surged, and university Buddhist clubs are also gaining popularity.

According to Dongguk University on the 21st, the university established 14 new Buddhist clubs within its colleges this year. Previously, there was only one central Buddhist club that anyone could join regardless of their college affiliation, but this year the range of options has greatly expanded. A coalition called the "Buddhist Student Union," consisting of 14 college Buddhist clubs and one graduate school Buddhist club, was also formed. This appears to be due to the growing trend of "young Buddhism" and "hip Buddhism" sparked by Buddhist fairs and similar events.

In May, 'NewJeans-nim' shouting "Butcher Handsome" [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Buddhist craze is largely attributed to the influence of "Newjin Sunim" (a persona of comedian Yoon Sung-ho). Since last year, Newjin Sunim has been performing electronic dance music (EDM) while dressed in monk robes at Buddhist fairs and other events, gaining explosive popularity. Through songs like "Buddha Handsome" and "Rebirth in Paradise," he conveys Buddhist teachings such as "This too shall pass," resonating deeply with young people. Buddhism’s reputation for being dull and old-fashioned has been instantly shattered.

Also playing a role is Beomjeong Sunim, a monk in his early 30s known as "Flower Sunim," and the "I Am a Temple" program, a matchmaking event for unmarried men and women organized by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, which has attracted attention.

This trend has also led to a boom in traditional temple experience programs like templestays. Among the 158 temples nationwide offering templestays, many are fully booked during the peak season of July and August.

According to the Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation, the number of templestay participants in the first half of this year reached 292,000, the highest since the program was introduced in 2002. This represents a 20% increase compared to the same period last year and a 60% surge compared to two years ago, the final year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notably, participants in their 20s make up the largest group. Those in their 20s accounted for 26% of all participants in the first half of this year, a 4 percentage point increase from a year ago. Including those in their 30s (18%), the 20s and 30s age group comprises 44% of the total.

NewJeans, who dominated the stage last May [Photo by Yonhap News]

Each club at Dongguk University is promoting activities that reflect the characteristics of their respective colleges, beyond traditional activities like templestays and Buddhist services. These include legal counseling volunteer work (College of Law), special lectures on Buddhist sculpture and architecture (College of Engineering), and creating a metaverse of the campus temple Jeonggakwon (College of AI Convergence).

The Buddhist Student Union plans to hold a "Young Camp" in September at Jangchung Gymnasium in Jung-gu, Seoul. They intend to invite famous Buddhist-related figures, including comedian Yoon Sung-ho’s persona "Newjin Sunim," to host talk concerts and festivals.

Dae-deung made by the Buddhist club 'Jinseonmi' at the College of Arts
[Photo by Su-Young Park / Yonhap News]

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