Young South Koreans Drawn to Buddhism via Social Media
2024-05-20
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1Religious beliefs in South Korea have been decreasing for years.
2In 2021, just 22 percent of South Koreans between the ages of 20 and 29 identified as religious.
3In 2004, that number was 45 percent.
4Those numbers are from the Washington, D.C.-based data organization Gallup.
5But that might be changing. Social media is fueling an increased interest in Buddhism among young people.
6Music creator Youn Sung Ho is one reason for this increase.
7Youn said he has received support from younger generations for his Buddhist monk character.
8He calls the character NewJeansNim.
9Youn said he created the character last year when he was performing at a ceremony to celebrate Buddha's birthday.
10He wore a hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing that looks like monk's robe.
11He said a video of the performance got millions of views on social media.
12"That's when I thought, 'Oh, I need to make a character quickly,'" he said.
13He carefully built his character while seeking support from Buddhist leaders in South Korea.
14His goal was to balance popular culture with Buddhist teachings.
15NewJeansNim is a combination of Sunim, a Korean title for Buddhist monks, and NewJean, a name that a senior monk gave to Youn.
16Youn's music-creating character has appealed to many young South Korean adults.
17And the character has increased young Koreans' interest in Buddhism.
18Kwon Dohyun is a university student.
19He attended the ceremony and said he was happy to see NewJeansNim perform.
20Kwon told The Associated Press "Isn't the hairstyle really hip?"
21He added that his interest in Buddhism also came from the inclusivity and openness of the religion.
22Youn said he believes his attempts to break traditional attitudes towards Buddhism has gained support among South Koreans.
23He said that when most people think of Buddhism, they think of things like sitting still, quiet temples in the mountains and the sound of wind chimes.
24"People think these are Buddhism, but what I am doing now is the opposite," he said.
25Venerable Beomjeong is another Buddhist who has been gaining young followers on social media.
26He is also known as Kkotsnim, which means "flower monk" in Korean.
27He is active on Instagram, where he communicates with both Buddhists and non-believers.
28Beomjeon often shares photos of himself with descriptions including Buddhist teachings and his thoughts.
29"People think monks are supposed to be noble, they are supposed to be in the mountains, they are supposed to be purer than anyone else," he said.
30He added that he hopes to change the ideas around monks and Buddhism in South Korea through social media.
31He said he receives many messages asking him simple questions about Buddhism.
32They include: Are monks not supposed to eat meat?
33Are monks able to get married?
34He has also been asked: "Will you marry me?"
35Beomjeong said he aims for his answers to be clear but carefully worded.
36He said, "I tell it like it is."
37Beomjeong and NewJeansNim both say their efforts to bring in younger generations to Buddhism have left them open to criticism.
38Beomjeong said Korean Buddhist monks had the opinion that a monk should not be sharing images of himself and using Instagram.
39But Youn said such criticisms come from people who resist change.
40And he added that the younger generations "who want and like new things are so welcoming and love it."
41Beomjeong said he is happy to be considered an influencer if it means sharing messages about Buddhism with the public.
42Beomjeong said, "I don't know what it means to be an influencer, but if I can get many people to see and hear what I say, I want to be an influencer."
43I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Religious beliefs in South Korea have been decreasing for years. In 2021, just 22 percent of South Koreans between the ages of 20 and 29 identified as religious. In 2004, that number was 45 percent. Those numbers are from the Washington, D.C.-based data organization Gallup. 2But that might be changing. Social media is fueling an increased interest in Buddhism among young people. 3Music creator Youn Sung Ho is one reason for this increase. Youn said he has received support from younger generations for his Buddhist monk character. He calls the character NewJeansNim. 4Youn said he created the character last year when he was performing at a ceremony to celebrate Buddha's birthday. 5He wore a hanbok, the traditional Korean clothing that looks like monk's robe. He said a video of the performance got millions of views on social media. "That's when I thought, 'Oh, I need to make a character quickly,'" he said. 6He carefully built his character while seeking support from Buddhist leaders in South Korea. His goal was to balance popular culture with Buddhist teachings. 7NewJeansNim is a combination of Sunim, a Korean title for Buddhist monks, and NewJean, a name that a senior monk gave to Youn. 8Youn's music-creating character has appealed to many young South Korean adults. And the character has increased young Koreans' interest in Buddhism. 9Kwon Dohyun is a university student. He attended the ceremony and said he was happy to see NewJeansNim perform. Kwon told The Associated Press "Isn't the hairstyle really hip?" He added that his interest in Buddhism also came from the inclusivity and openness of the religion. 10Youn said he believes his attempts to break traditional attitudes towards Buddhism has gained support among South Koreans. He said that when most people think of Buddhism, they think of things like sitting still, quiet temples in the mountains and the sound of wind chimes. 11"People think these are Buddhism, but what I am doing now is the opposite," he said. 12Venerable Beomjeong is another Buddhist who has been gaining young followers on social media. He is also known as Kkotsnim, which means "flower monk" in Korean. He is active on Instagram, where he communicates with both Buddhists and non-believers. 13Beomjeon often shares photos of himself with descriptions including Buddhist teachings and his thoughts. 14"People think monks are supposed to be noble, they are supposed to be in the mountains, they are supposed to be purer than anyone else," he said. He added that he hopes to change the ideas around monks and Buddhism in South Korea through social media. 15He said he receives many messages asking him simple questions about Buddhism. They include: Are monks not supposed to eat meat? Are monks able to get married? He has also been asked: "Will you marry me?" 16Beomjeong said he aims for his answers to be clear but carefully worded. He said, "I tell it like it is." 17Beomjeong and NewJeansNim both say their efforts to bring in younger generations to Buddhism have left them open to criticism. 18Beomjeong said Korean Buddhist monks had the opinion that a monk should not be sharing images of himself and using Instagram. 19But Youn said such criticisms come from people who resist change. And he added that the younger generations "who want and like new things are so welcoming and love it." 20Beomjeong said he is happy to be considered an influencer if it means sharing messages about Buddhism with the public. 21Beomjeong said, "I don't know what it means to be an influencer, but if I can get many people to see and hear what I say, I want to be an influencer." 22I'm Gregory Stachel. 23Juwon Park reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24_________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26monk - n. a member of a religious community of men who usually promise to remain poor, unmarried, and separated from the rest of society 27character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show 28robe - n. a long, loose piece of clothing that is worn on top of other clothes to show that someone has a high rank or an important job 29hip - adj. very popular or fashionable 30temple - n. a building for worship 31chimes - n. a device that produces a sound like the sound made by a set of bells 32noble - adj. having, showing, or coming from personal qualities that people admire (such as honesty, generosity, or courage)