Geumjeongsa Temple

This description was machine-translated from the Korea Tourism Organization's Korean original.

Geumjeongsa is a temple of the Hadong branch of Tongdosa, the 15th Diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, located in Daesong-ri, Geumnam-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. It was founded in 1948 by Jeong U-gyeong at 15 Daesong-ri, Geumnam-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, and was then called Geumgangsa. After the Korean War, when Jeong U-gyeong left the temple, various monks resided there but none stayed long, and the temple spent 20 years without an abbot. In 1970, Kim Mun-su assumed the post of abbot and relocated the temple to its present site at 35 Daesong-ri, Geumnam-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, renaming Geumgangsa as Geumjeongsa. At that time, the Main Buddha Hall, a bell pavilion, and monks’ living quarters were built. In 1999, when Hyechol assumed the post of abbot, Geumjeongsa was renamed again (with a different Chinese-character form), and buildings including a Samseonggak, a Chunghonjeon, a three-story Ansimyo, a true-relic stone pagoda, and restrooms were newly constructed. Regular Dharma assemblies are held on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month. In 1954, at the initiative of Geumjeongsa, a memorial tower for the fallen was erected to commemorate the spirits of 334 soldiers and youth mobile-unit members from Hadong-gun who died defending the country during the Korean War, and to preserve their precious sacrifice as a national heritage; the temple also carries out projects honoring those spirits who defended the nation. Related cultural properties include the Gyeongsangnam-do Tangible Cultural Heritage “Hadong Geumjeongsa Mountain Spirit Painting” and the Gyeongsangnam-do Cultural Heritage Material “Hadong Geumjeongsa Seven Stars Painting,” as well as the Geumjeongsa Memorial Tower for the Fallen, a memorial facility designated by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Source: Academy of Korean Studies - Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture