Ven. Jinwoo Reelected as Head of South Korea's Jogye Order, First to Serve Second Term in 13 Years

The Ven. Jinwoo, the incumbent head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist denomination, has been reelected, becoming the first leader to serve a second term in 13 years.

The Jogye Order held its election for Executive President on Thursday at the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and selected the Ven. Jinwoo as the 38th head. The Ven. Jinwoo received 183 votes out of 321 total electors, while his rival, the Ven. Gyeongwoo, received 138 votes. This was the first contested election with multiple candidates since 2017.

In his acceptance remarks, he said, "I will take today's choice not as support for me personally, but as a solemn mandate to achieve a new leap forward for Korean Buddhism, built on stability and harmony within the order," adding, "I will devote myself fully to making Buddhism younger and more dynamic, opening a new hundred years for Korean Buddhism."

The head of the Jogye Order oversees the general administration and external affairs of a denomination comprising roughly 3,500 temples nationwide and about 12,000 monks. The position holds the authority to appoint temple abbots and to execute the Executive Office's budget of approximately 105 billion won. The term of office is four years.

The order will hold a Council of Elders meeting on Friday to complete the confirmation process for the president-elect.

The Ven. Jinwoo's track record over the past four years as executive president includes introducing an AI robot monk and achieving record attendance at Buddhist expos.

His top priority is expected to be revitalizing the faith's membership. Key initiatives include expanding programs such as Buddhist expos and Zen meditation offerings to attract younger believers, strengthening the authority of female monks, and improving welfare for monks.

The Ven. Jinwoo, born in 1961 in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, entered monastic life at 14 and was ordained under the Ven. Baegun, receiving the novice precepts in 1978. He built a career spanning temple administration and central church leadership — serving as abbot of Baekyangsa Temple, head of the Executive Office's General Affairs and Planning departments, president of the Buddhist Newspaper, and the Jogye Order's Director of Education from 2019. He was elected the order's 37th Executive President in 2022.