The Venerable Jinwoo was re-elected head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist order, marking the first time in 13 years that its executive director has won a second term. "I will devote all my strength to making Buddhism younger and more dynamic, and to opening a new century for Korean Buddhism," Jinwoo said shortly after the result was announced.
Jinwoo won 183 of 321 votes, or 57%, in the election for the order's 38th executive director, held on the 3rd at the Korean Buddhism History and Culture Memorial Hall in Seoul's Jongno District. His rival, the Venerable Kyungwoo, former abbot of Seonunsa Temple, took 138 votes, or 43%. The electoral college consisted of 321 people: 81 members of the Central Council, the order's legislative body, and 240 delegates elected 10 each from 24 district head temples nationwide.
The race came down to a two-way contest between Jinwoo and Kyungwoo. Three candidates initially entered, including the Venerable Jeongnyeom, a former abbot of Woljeongsa Temple, but Jeongnyeom withdrew last month and endorsed Kyungwoo. It was the first contested election for the post in nine years, since 2017.
After receiving his certificate of election, Jinwoo went to the main hall of Jogyesa Temple for a ceremony reporting the result to the Buddha. He later told reporters: "I will accept this choice not as support for me personally, but as a solemn mandate to achieve a new leap forward for Korean Buddhism on the basis of stability and harmony within the order." He added: "I will cherish every difference and every opinion expressed during the election. I will listen with greater humility so that no one is left out, and open the order's future together with the districts and the fourfold community."
Once the result is confirmed by the order's Council of Elders on the 4th, Jinwoo will begin his second term on the 28th. The executive director serves a four-year term and may be re-elected once. He is only the second person to win a second term since the order's reforms in 1994, after the Venerable Jaseung, who was re-elected in 2013 as the 33rd and 34th executive director.
Born in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Jinwoo entered monastic life under the Venerable Baekun, receiving novice ordination in 1978 and full ordination in 1998. He served as abbot of Yongheungsa Temple in Damyang, Jeolla Province, and in 2012 was appointed abbot of Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong, the head temple of the order's 18th district. He went on to serve as the order's director of general affairs, head of the planning office and head of the education bureau, before taking office as the 37th executive director in September 2022. He was chosen by consensus at that time and took the post without a vote.
The executive director oversees general administration and external affairs for the Jogye Order, which encompasses more than 3,500 temples and about 12,000 monks and nuns, making it the country's largest Buddhist order. The post carries the authority to appoint and dismiss abbots of head and branch temples, to execute an annual headquarters budget of more than 100 billion won, and to supervise and approve the disposal of property held by temples belonging to the order. The holder also serves ex officio as chairman of the order's monastic education institute, including Joong-Ang Sangha University, chairman of its social welfare foundation and chairman of the Council of Korean Buddhist Orders. It is, in effect, the position that represents Korean Buddhism.
Jinwoo's re-election is seen as reflecting favorable assessments of his record over the past four years. During his term, a "hip Buddhism" boom took hold among younger Koreans, and attendance at the Seoul International Buddhism Expo jumped to 250,000 this year from 70,000 in 2023. Programs such as "Naneun Jeollo," a matchmaking event for young single men and women, and temple stays offering visitors a taste of Buddhist culture also drew a strong response from younger generations.
Little change is expected in how the order is run. In announcing his bid for a second term, Jinwoo pledged to strengthen the rights of bhikkhunis, or female monastics, complete a full welfare system for monks and nuns, provide basic support for their practice, and devolve central authority to the districts. He also said he would review the electoral system, leaving options open from selection by consensus to direct election.
Healing the divisions and conflict exposed during the campaign remains a task. The race turned bitter as disputes over candidate eligibility, allegations of vote-buying and criminal complaints piled up. One monk challenged Jinwoo's monastic registration and asked a court for an injunction suspending the validity of his candidacy. The court dismissed the request the previous day, saying the vetting of monastic credentials is an internal matter for the order and not something for the court to decide.
