![Poster for the 2026 Busan International Buddhist Expo [Provided by Busan city]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/06/news-p.v1.20260806.41f457be6f9844eba61167640a058d0a_P1.png)
The 2026 Busan International Buddhist Expo opens Thursday at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1, running through Sunday under the theme "Form Is O, O Is Form — Your Favorite O-Play."
The concept draws on the Buddhist teaching "form is emptiness, emptiness is form," playing on the Korean word "gong," which means both "emptiness" in Buddhist philosophy and "ball" in everyday speech. The organizers use that double meaning to reframe Buddhist philosophy as an experience of playing, emptying and refilling — making it more accessible to modern audiences.
The expo was first held in 2024. Last year, under the theme "Buddhist Core," it drew about 100,000 visitors from across the country and established itself as one of Busan's signature cultural festivals. This year's edition features exhibitions spanning traditional crafts and Buddhist cultural products, contemplative practice culture, tea, temple food, cultural industries and a meditation arts show, alongside stage dharma talks, lectures, audience-participation programs and a themed exhibition.
Temples and Buddhist cultural institutions from Busan, South Gyeongsang Province and across the country will gather alongside arts and culture organizations, giving visitors a chance to encounter the contemplative and traditional cultures each temple has carried forward.
Amid growing global interest in Korean traditional culture, meditation and wellness alongside the spread of K-culture, the organizers plan to distribute English-language promotional materials and complimentary admission tickets to tourist information centers, hotels, schools and cultural venues around Busan. The expo's website will also offer English, Japanese and Chinese translation so that foreign tourists can enjoy the event with ease.
Wonheo, the Buddhist monk who heads the expo, said Busan is "a city open to the world" and expressed hope that the event would offer "an opportunity to experience Korean Buddhist culture in an easy and welcoming way and to discover Busan's cultural appeal."
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said he expected the expo to "carry forward the value of traditional culture in a contemporary way and raise Busan's cultural standing as an open festival that every citizen can share and enjoy."
kaf2002@heraldcorp.com
