2025 Busan International Buddhist Expo Opens on August 7: "A Cultural Festival Beyond Religion"

Busan International Buddhist Expo Opens August 7-10 at BEXCO in Busan
Zen Meditation, Temple Food, and Interactive Experiences Offered

The 2025 Busan International Buddhist Expo will be held from August 7 to 10 at Hall 1 of BEXCO Exhibition Center 1 in Busan.

2024 Busan International Buddhist Expo scene. Busan International Buddhist Expo

The 2025 Busan International Buddhist Expo is hosted by Buddhist Newspaper and BBS Busan Buddhist Broadcasting, with support from the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Busan Metropolitan City, Beomeosa of Geumjeong Chongnim, Tongdosa of Yeongchuk Chongnim, Ssanggyesa, the Busan Buddhist Association, and the Jogye Order Busan Association. Last year, the first edition of the expo attracted around 50,000 visitors.

This year, the event is expected to surpass last year's scale. The number of pre-registered attendees reached 29,215, significantly exceeding last year's figure of 19,605.

In addition, the scale of this year's Busan International Buddhist Expo has been greatly expanded compared to the previous year. While last year's expo was held in Hall 3B of BEXCO Exhibition Center 3, this year it will move to Hall 1 of BEXCO Exhibition Center 1, which is about twice as large, offering a much bigger space. A total of 249 participating organizations, including exhibiting artists, will take part in the expo, which will feature 372 booths.

The participatory experience content "Hidden Dhamma Challenge," which received great acclaim at the 2025 Seoul International Buddhist Expo, will be renewed and newly introduced at the Busan venue. This mission-based experience allows visitors to collect eight cards themed on the "Eightfold Path," the eight Buddhist practices, by completing various tasks throughout the expo hall.

Within the exhibition hall, there will be a "Temple Food Exhibition" and a "Zen Meditation Experience Zone," offering opportunities to experience Buddhist culture. Various programs are also available, including simple seated meditation, breathing meditation, and walking meditation guided by professional instructors. Special programs designed to stimulate the senses, such as "Dhamma Talk" meditation experiences, and the talk show "Seudamseudam," where five young monks share stories about ordination and their spiritual journeys, will also take place.

An official from the organizing office stated, "This expo will go beyond a simple exhibition to become a festival that proposes various ways for Buddhist culture to permeate modern life." The official added, "Through programs that harmoniously blend tradition and modernity, practice and emotion, we hope everyone will have the opportunity to experience and empathize with Buddhist wisdom in their daily lives."

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