A Monk Examination Field Became an Exhibition District

The field where Buddhist examinations were held is remembered by a marker beside a modern exhibition complex.

The road between Bongeunsa and COEX holds more than a visual contrast. After the Buddhist monk examination was revived under Queen Munjeong and the monk Bou, an examination was held in front of Bongeunsa in 1552. The field became known as Seunggwapyeong.

A brief Buddhist revival

The event shows that Joseon’s treatment of Buddhism was not uniform throughout the dynasty. The examination system again selected monks during this short revival.

A marker for a vanished field

Roads and buildings have erased the field’s visible outline. The marker near Bongeunsa and COEX is not the whole site or an excavated ruin; it connects the lost landscape to today’s coordinates. Cross only at designated pedestrian routes.