77% of Busan residents back meditation center at Haeundae temple, poll shows

A poll has found that 77 percent of Busan residents support plans to build a Seon meditation education center at Haeunjeongsa, a traditional Buddhist temple in Haeundae-gu, Busan.

Haeunjeongsa commissioned the survey from Jowon C&I, which conducted it July 14-17 among 1,000 adults nationwide and 1,000 Busan residents aged 18 and older. Some 77.0 percent of Busan respondents backed the construction project, compared with 63.6 percent nationally. Opposition stood at 10.7 percent in Busan and 18.6 percent nationwide, with support far outpacing resistance in both groups.

The survey was conducted online and via mobile using a structured questionnaire with simple random sampling. It carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Support also extended to government and city funding for the project, with 71 percent of Busan respondents and 61.3 percent of national respondents backing public fiscal support, against 18.4 percent and 22.3 percent in opposition, respectively. Interest in mind-cultivation practices such as Seon meditation reached 75 percent in Busan and 68.5 percent nationwide, while 87.4 percent of Busan respondents and 81.7 percent nationally said meditation practice helps mental health.

Some 81.5 percent of Busan respondents said the city needs a meditation and healing space, outpacing the national figure of 66.0 percent. Asked whether the center could become a cultural and tourism landmark for Busan, 81.6 percent of Busan respondents and 70.0 percent nationally gave a positive assessment.

A Haeunjeongsa official said the planned center would serve as a space for learning and deepening the traditional Buddhist practice of Seon meditation, focused primarily on mental cultivation activities such as meditation. "We will work closely with the central government and local authorities as the project moves forward," the official said.