Those seeking to bring meditation into everyday life gather once again in one place. The Seoul International Meditation Expo, regarded as the largest meditation event in South Korea, opens its seventh edition this year. The theme is "Meditation 2026, wake together". It reflects the idea of sharing a mind that is awake together, beyond individual practice.
The largest meditation festival in South Korea opens for the seventh time
This year’s event is hosted by the Jonghak Research Institute of the Academy of Buddhist Studies at Dongguk University and is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is designed to weave together meditation experiences, academia, education and culture into a single flow, so that the public and experts can meet together. According to a report by Asia Today, this year’s expo runs the experience-centred exhibitions and the academic-centred conference in separate time slots and at separate locations.
Experience exhibition in August, split into an academic conference in September
The meditation experience booths and the world meditation booths will open for two days, on August 22 and 23, at the Hakyeoul Station SETEC’s Second Exhibition Room. The meditation conference will then be held at Dongguk University’s Namsan Hall on September 17 and 18. The final event is a Seonmyeong (Zen) concert at 4:30pm on September 18 in the same Namsan Hall at Dongguk University’s main building. It is a format that opens with hands-on experiences and closes with scholarship and music.
24 experience programmes and world meditation booths from 11 countries
At the experience arena, 24 programmes including breathing meditation, walking meditation and Seonmyeong (Zen) welcome visitors. It is also designed so that people encountering meditation for the first time can learn it immediately through their bodies. Alongside that, world meditation booths involving 11 countries are set up, allowing visitors to compare, in one place, differing training traditions and meditation cultures from each country.
Seonmyeong (Zen) expands through scholarship and education
The meditation conference runs over two days with lectures and discussions by experts from home and abroad. The theme on the first day is "Seonmyeong (Zen) in the age of technology and science", while on the second day it is "The wellness value of Seonmyeong (Zen)". In education, research into developing a Buddhist meditation programme spanning three years has entered its final stage, and meditation routine content made up of short videos lasting 3 to 5 minutes will also be unveiled. It is an effort to spread meditation that people can practise briefly in daily life.
Who can take part and how to apply
The event is open to all, including members of the general public interested in meditation, practitioners, and meditation researchers. Participation is arranged through pre-registration via the official website of the Seoul International Meditation Expo (mind.dongguk.edu) and the official Instagram account. Detailed application information, including the participation fee, will be announced in stages on official channels. Meet the two days of waking together in the middle of the city and the academic time for sharing thoughts this summer and early autumn, through meditation accompanied by culture and the arts.