The Korean Meditation Leadership Association, a registered nonprofit, held a press conference on May 12 at the 3rd-floor meeting room of the Jogye Order’s Jeonbub Hall (Jeonppbeghoegwan) in Seoul, announcing the official launch of its four-person co-representative system. The new faces leading the association are Maga Sunim (Representative of Loving-Kindness Meditation), Jeonghye Sunim (Director of Haein Seon Meditation Center), Director Yeolgwon Kim (Director of Maha Vipassana Meditation Center), and Director Hyeoungyeong Ahn (Director of the Korea MBSR Mindfulness Research Institute). Elected unanimously at the 122nd Operations Meeting on March 23, they will open a new chapter in the association’s operations, succeeding former chairperson Sunim Jeokgyeong.
From Loving-Kindness Meditation to MBSR—Sitting at One Table
The weight of this launch goes beyond a leadership reshuffle. It is also rare worldwide for representatives from distinct practice traditions—Loving-Kindness Meditation, Ganhwa Seon, Vipassana, and the Western-style mindfulness approach (MBSR)—to jointly oversee the operations of one association. The meditation organizations active within the association number as many as 31.
Behind the transition from an appointment-centered single leadership system to a four-person co-representative structure is the association’s determination to “respond to the complex demands of modern society and accelerate both the expertise and the popularization of meditation.” The plan is to establish a standard for Seon meditation in the Korean style at the point where the depth of traditional silent-reflection practice meets the accessibility of modern, applied meditation.
Beyond Enlightenment, Toward ‘Social Healing Meditation’
Maga Sunim recalled the atmosphere at the Bongwon-sa International Seon Meditation Competition site. Among the young people gathered there, almost no one came seeking enlightenment. According to what he said, most of them had arrived carrying real-life suffering such as depression and insomnia, as well as struggles like social avoidance. He stated that just as a clinic formulates medicine according to one’s constitution, meditation should also approach people in a customized way. He added that the association would serve as a “mind pharmacy” that helps relieve modern people’s pain.
Jeonghye Sunim said meditation is not the domain of only special people, but a path that helps exhausted people return to themselves. She also shared on-the-ground changes, noting that even in Jeolla Province—where Protestant Christianity is strong—once you meet the Zen master, the atmosphere of people asking about Seon meditation has taken root.
Director Yeolgwon Kim diagnosed that after the AI era, meditation will become a core element of character education. Pointing to the reality that South Korea, which achieved rapid economic growth and democracy, remains at the top level among OECD countries in suicide rates and traffic accident death rates, he emphasized that systematic meditation education that combines traditional practice methods with modern psychology could become a clue to solving social problems.
Director Hyeoungyeong Ahn said that the association’s key task is to be a stepping-stone connecting these two streams. For Seon, there is depth, but public accessibility is lacking; for modern meditation, accessibility is good, but depth is insufficient—such assessments have long existed. The core direction is to bring together deep Seon and widely accessible modern meditation to create a new standard for meditation in the Korean style. Wonhyo Sunim’s spirit of hwajaeng (harmonizing differences) has taken root as the operating philosophy guiding the coexistence of 31 organizations.
The 11th Anniversary Forum and Meditation Academy—The Coming Season of the Mind
As its first activity after the launch, the association will hold a forum to commemorate its 11th anniversary. The theme is “The Meeting of Tradition and Modernity, Seon Meditation.” Five presentations and a comprehensive discussion are planned, covering everything from early canonical texts and meditation traditions of the Theravada lineage, to Mahayana, Tibetan practices, Ganhwa Seon, and modern applied meditation.
Event Name: The Korean Meditation Leadership Association 11th Anniversary Commemorative Forum
Theme: The Meeting of Tradition and Modernity, Seon Meditation
Date: June 28, 2026
Location: International Conference Hall, 2nd Floor, Korea Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Museum
Key Speakers: Jae-seong Kim, Jeonghye Sunim, Yeolgwon Kim, Hee-seung Park, Hyeoungyeong Ahn
Inquiries: 02-953-5307
In the second half of the year, the 20th Meditation Academy’s Level 2 and Level 1 qualification courses will also be opened. Level 2 begins on September 2, and Level 1 begins on September 5 via online ZOOM. This is the required training for obtaining the association’s official qualification as a “Meditation Professional Instructor.” Since its founding in 2015, the association has produced more than 1,800 meditation instructors, including 1,024 people for Level 2, 528 for Level 1, 218 trainers, and 50 directors.
Immediately after the press conference, the four-person co-representatives visited and paid respects to Jinwoo Sunim, the head administrator of the Jogye Order’s General Affairs Office. As Jinwoo Sunim’s Seon meditation popularization project meets the association’s new system, Korean meditation culture is again reaching a major turning point.
