Woljeongsa Temple, Pyeongchang, South Korea

Woljeongsa Temple, Pyeongchang, South Korea

374-8, Odaesan-ro, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

Along the eastern coast of Korea stand two great mountains: Seoraksan and Odaesan. Just as Seoraksan is home to Baekdamsa and Sinheungsa, Odaesan shelters Woljeongsa and Sangwonsa within its folds. Woljeongsa Temple lies at the foot of Odaesan in Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province. It is said that in 643 AD, the twelfth year of Queen Seondeok of Silla, the monk Jajang returned from his studies in Tang-dynasty China, believing Odaesan to be a sacred land where Manjushri Bodhisattva dwelt. He built a simple thatched hermitage on the present temple site, took up residence there, and is said to have encountered Manjushri Bodhisattva in person. A temple was established on that very ground, and through numerous restorations over the centuries it has endured to the present day — though most of the buildings standing today were newly constructed from 1964 onward, following the temple's complete destruction by fire during the January Fourth Retreat of 1951.

Known as sacred ground where Manjushri Bodhisattva resides, based on the founding legend recorded in the Samguk Yusa, Woljeongsa is also home to the Odaesan Sago — an archive built nearby to house the Joseon royal annals. Within the temple grounds, National Treasure No. 48, the Eight-Sided Nine-Story Stone Pagoda, and Treasure No. 139, a seated stone bodhisattva, are preserved. The octagonal nine-story pagoda is a particularly precious cultural heritage, reflecting the influence of Song-dynasty China during the early Goryeo period, with only a handful of comparable examples surviving in the country today. The seated stone bodhisattva that once stood before the pagoda has since been relocated for its protection, and a replica now occupies its original position.

Woljeongsa is also renowned for its deep connection with Sejo, the seventh king of Joseon, who seized the throne through the coup known as the Gyeyujeongnan. Born the second son of King Sejong the Great and known in his earlier years as Prince Suyang, he is remembered in history as the man who put his young nephew Danjong to death and claimed the throne for himself after his elder brother King Munjong died young, leaving behind only a child heir. As if in penance for these acts, Sejo — ruler of a Confucian state — nevertheless established the Gangyeongdogam to publish Buddhist scriptures and lent support to Buddhist construction projects at numerous sites. It is told that when Sejo visited Woljeongsa and entered the dharma hall, a cat alerted him to an assassin concealed beneath a Buddha statue, sparing his life. In gratitude, he is said to have granted the temple land extending eighty ri in all directions as a sacred precincts and contributed greatly to the reconstruction of Woljeongsa.

With the Yeongdong Expressway passing close by, Woljeongsa draws a great many visitors. A large car park has been laid out directly in front of the temple, now connected immediately to the main entrance gate — but alongside the car park stretches another of the temple's treasures: a roughly one-kilometer path lined with fir trees. With around a thousand towering firs standing in dense formation on either side, the fir tree path of Woljeongsa is even more thickly wooded than the celebrated fir path at Naesosa Temple. Walking along it, one could easily imagine oneself in a dedicated forest bathing retreat. The region receives heavy snowfall in winter, and the sight of the fir-lined path blanketed in snow offers a natural spectacle every bit as restorative as a walk among summer greenery.

To anyone visiting Woljeongsa, I would urge them without hesitation to walk this path. In a few years' time, Pyeongchang will host the 23rd Winter Olympics — the first ever held in Korea. That will bring many visitors from around the world to Pyeongchang, and from there to the nearby East Sea coast and the slopes of Odaesan. As a cultural heritage site that offers genuine insight into Korean history and tradition, Woljeongsa Temple on Odaesan — a temple of a thousand years — is the one place I would recommend above all others to any visitor who comes.

If you would like to experience a unique side of Korea, the "Land of the Morning Calm," please feel free to reach out. I host small, private guided tours tailored for international visitors.

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