From 100,000 Lanterns to Robot Monks: Tradition and AI Walk Together in Jongno

Lantern Festival, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Opens in Seoul
50,000 Join Lantern Parade from Heunginjimun Gate to Jogyesa Temple... Traditional Culture Yard on the 17th
Jinwoo: "We Must Lift the Lantern of Harmony That Dispels the Darkness of the World"

Robot monks dressed in Buddhist robes stood before 100,000 lanterns. Traditional grandeur, artificial intelligence (AI), and citizen-made lanterns all illuminated the night in Jongno, Seoul, within a single parade.

On the 16th, ahead of Buddha's Birthday, robot monks Gabi, Seokga, Mohee, and Nisa participated together in the 2026 Lantern Parade, which proceeded from Heunginjimun Gate to Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On May 16, ahead of Buddha's Birthday in the Buddhist year 2570, the "2026 Lantern Festival" parade was held across the Jongno area in Seoul. The Lantern Festival Preservation Committee, which includes Buddhist orders such as the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, organized the parade that started at Heunginjimun Gate at 7 p.m., continued along Jongno, and concluded at Jogyesa Temple. The Lantern Festival was designated as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012 and was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.

This year's lantern parade saw participation from about 50,000 people, including major Buddhist orders such as the Jogye, Cheontae, and Taego Orders, temples, Buddhist organizations, and citizens. Participants walked along Jongno carrying around 100,000 lanterns of various designs, including lotus-shaped lanterns, phoenix lanterns, dragon lanterns, and turtle lanterns. The Jogye Order estimated that approximately 500,000 people, including parade participants and spectators, gathered in the Jongno area that day.

Leading the parade was the "Lantern Guard," a reenactment of the royal procession from the Lantern Festival of the Goryeo Dynasty. Centered on a lantern carrying a statue of the baby Buddha, the procession was followed by lanterns representing the Four Heavenly Kings, Brahma, and Indra. Traditional ceremonial lanterns such as the King of Human Realm Lantern, Five Directions Buddha Banner, and Six Offerings Lantern continued the parade. Foreign participants from Buddhist countries, including Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, joined the parade in their national attire and carried their own lanterns.

On the 16th, ahead of Buddha’s Birthday, robot monks Gabi, Seokga, Mohui, and Nisa participated together in the 2026 Lantern Parade held from Heunginjimun to Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The most attention-grabbing scene this year was the appearance of "robot monks." Four humanoid robots dressed in the monk's outer robe and kasaya, along with two autonomous robots, participated in the parade. The robot monks marched for about 40 minutes from Heunginjimun Gate to Tapgol Park, in front of the festival organizing committee, attracting the gaze of citizens. Each time the robot monks performed a Buddhist greeting or waved, citizens responded with applause and lifted their smartphones to take photos.

Jinwoo, the Chief Executive of the Jogye Order, said earlier at the lantern lighting ceremony held at the main stadium of Dongguk University, "Following the light of truth illuminated by Buddha, we must light a lantern of inner peace within and lift a lantern of harmony that dispels the darkness of the world." Attendees at the ceremony participated in the bathing ceremony for the baby Buddha.

On the 16th, ahead of Buddha's Birthday, the 2026 Lantern Parade is taking place from Heunginjimun Gate to Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Choi Huiyeong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Heo Min, Commissioner of the National Heritage Administration, also joined the organizing committee for the parade. After the parade, a "Daedong Hanmadang" (Grand Festival) took place on a special stage at Jonggak Intersection. Citizens enjoyed traditional circle dances, Buddhist drum performances, and a concert by the singer Norazo, wrapping up the first day's schedule of the Lantern Festival.

The Lantern Festival will continue through May 17. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day, a "Traditional Culture Yard" will be held on Ujeongguk-ro in front of Jogyesa Temple. Experience programs such as Seon meditation, temple food, lantern-making, and international Buddhist exchange events will be available. Starting at 7 p.m., there will be rhythmic performances by traditional performing groups and an EDM-style "Lantern Play" in the Insadong and Gongpyeong Intersection areas.

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