Jogye Order to mark 60th anniversary of Korean War

Jogye Order, the nation’s largest Buddhist order, will from October hold a string of events to mark the 60th anniversary of the truce between South and North Korea following the Korean War.

A total of 80 Buddhist delegates headed by Ven. Jaseung, head of the Jogye Order, and Ven. Jiwon, head of the Propagation Center of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, will visit the U.S. from Oct. 31 through Nov. 5 to host the “Culture of Millennium, Peace of Millennium” event at the New York InterContinental Hotel on Nov. 2.

The event will highlight dancheong, the Korean traditional decorative painting on wooden buildings, to promote the essence of Korean art.

Foreign envoys and Korean War veterans will be invited to celebrate the ceasefire. They will also adopt a declaration for peace, urging the world to end all wars.

Ahead of the event, Ven. Jiwon will meet with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to donate $100,000 toward child hunger programs. He will also pay a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the war.

In line with the events promoting peace, the Jogye Order on Sept. 14 next year will host “Korean Peninsula Event for UN Peace Day” at the United Nations Cemetery and Haeundae Beach in Busan, the order said. The religious group expects the event to become a milestone for world peace.

The Buddhist Order will also hold a special three-day ritual to pay tribute to the veterans of the Korea War as well as a pilgrimage, Korean temple food tasting, lantern festivals and other events.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)