![Poster for the 2026 Seoul International Buddhism Expo. [Photo provided by the Jogye Order]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/03/25/20260325145955190550.png)
Bongeunsa Temple will become a playground for young people, while COEX will serve as a venue where visitors can engage with the Buddhist idea of emptiness, organizers said.
Seongwon, director of cultural affairs at the Jogye Order’s administrative headquarters, said at a news conference Tuesday at the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall in Seoul that the 2026 Seoul International Buddhism Expo in April “will be not just a hot expo, but a ‘so hot’ expo.”
The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will hold the 2026 Seoul International Buddhism Expo at COEX for three days starting April 2. The event marks its 14th edition.
Seongwon said the order will work to broaden the reach and popularity of Buddhist culture to help improve people’s inner peace and encourage social harmony, adding that it will offer more ways for the public to experience Buddhist teachings.
About 200,000 people visited last year’s expo, with 77.6% from the MZ generation. Organizers are introducing paid admission for the first time this year but still expect about 250,000 visitors, about 50,000 more than last year.
This year’s expo will feature 286 companies and 435 booths. Exhibits will focus on participatory content that lets visitors experience the core Buddhist concept of emptiness through ball-play activities, linking the wordplay between “emptiness” and “ball” ahead of the North and Central America World Cup. Organizers said they will set up spaces across the venue where visitors and monks can talk about emptiness, encouraging what they described as natural “counseling to share life’s concerns.” Those who complete missions will receive sponsored items, including “gapi bags.”
A party-style program aimed at connecting with the MZ generation will also be held. At Bongeunsa’s Iljumun gate, organizers will stage the “Heart Sutra Emptiness Party,” a program combining tradition and K-pop. They described it as a Buddhist performance that reinterprets the Heart Sutra’s message — that all things are interdependent and empty — through contemporary music culture. Artist Woo Won-jae and others, along with monks, will chant the Heart Sutra, and attendees will experience “emptiness” through rhythm.
An organizer said more than 400 people registered in advance and that those without advance registration can also join the event.
Other programs include “Gyeonsimsa (Dog Mind Temple),” a collaboration between creator Yang Gyeong-su and veterinarian Choi In-young, which will release 10 vegan pet food products and present a lifestyle of practice with companion animals. Visitors can also see the “Scent Project,” which recreates the distinctive fragrance of temples as modern incense products, as well as brands such as “Buddha Land” and “Haetal Four Cuts.”
Wonheo, president of the Buddhist Newspaper, said the expo will serve as a venue to discover and support creators and emerging brands that reinterpret tradition, adding that it will create new value inspired by Buddhism and traditional culture and expand the potential of Korean traditional culture.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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