JEJU — Ven. Myeongjin, a towering figure in South Korean Buddhism and a relentless advocate for the marginalized, has died in a tragic freediving accident off the coast of Jeju Island. He was 76.
According to the Seogwipo Coast Guard and local emergency responders, the venerable monk was found unresponsive in the waters near Haye Port in Seogwipo, Jeju Province, at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Rescuers immediately pulled him from the water and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before rushing him to a nearby hospital. Despite the desperate efforts of medical personnel, Ven. Myeongjin was pronounced dead at 10:28 a.m.
Authorities currently suspect the cause of death to be "shallow water blackout," a treacherous physiological condition where a freediver suddenly loses consciousness due to a lack of oxygen to the brain while holding their breath underwater. The revelation that the 76-year-old monk was engaging in such an extreme and physically demanding aquatic sport without the aid of an oxygen tank has left the nation in both shock and profound sorrow. Yet, to those who knew him well, it perfectly encapsulated his boundary-pushing, fiercely independent spirit.
The timing of his sudden departure adds a heartbreaking layer of cruel irony to the tragedy. Just six months ago, in February of this year, Ven. Myeongjin finally reclaimed his official status as a Buddhist monk (seungjeok) within the Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect. This historic victory marked the end of a grueling, years-long legal battle.
During the Lee Myung-bak administration, Ven. Myeongjin became a prime target of illegal civilian surveillance by the National Intelligence Service due to his scathing, uncompromising criticisms of both the government and the religious establishment. His unwavering defiance led to a devastating and highly controversial defrocking by the Jogye Order in 2017—a disciplinary action that effectively attempted to erase his lifelong identity as a practitioner of the Dharma.
Refusing to yield to institutional pressure, he filed a lawsuit to nullify his expulsion in 2023. After winning in both the first and second trials, the Jogye Order ultimately abandoned its Supreme Court appeal earlier this year, fully restoring his monkhood. Having finally shed the heavy burden of political and religious persecution, he had retreated to Jeju Island, seemingly to enjoy a peaceful chapter of meditation and his lifelong passion for the ocean—only to be embraced by the sea forever.
Close acquaintances of the monk were not entirely surprised by his presence in the deep waters. Ven. Myeongjin harbored a legendary love for swimming. During his time near the Sacheon coastline in Gangneung, he would regularly swim up to eight kilometers a day, spending hours navigating the rough waves. Even in his late seventies, he enthusiastically took up surfing, demonstrating a boundless vitality that completely defied his chronological age. He was, in every sense, an unfettered soul who found ultimate liberation in the vast expanse of the ocean.
Born Han Gi-jung in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, in 1950, he embarked on his ascetic journey in 1969 under the tutelage of the revered Master Seongcheol at Baekryeonam Hermitage in Haeinsa Temple. After a unique stint as a soldier in the Vietnam War, he fully committed to the monastic path in the mid-1970s. However, Ven. Myeongjin was never one to confine his enlightenment to secluded mountain temples.
He was a trailblazer for systemic reform, playing a pivotal role in the 1994 Jogye Order reform movement. His leadership peaked during his tenure as the head monk of Bongeunsa Temple in the affluent Gangnam district of Seoul from 2006 to 2010. There, he revolutionized temple management by introducing unprecedented financial transparency, publishing every single donation online. He also completed a grueling 1,000-day prayer regimen, directly challenging the prevalent prosperity-driven faith of the time and calling for a return to genuine, austere Buddhist teachings.
Beyond the temple walls, he was the unwavering "Voice of Conscience" for the voiceless. Whether at the harrowing sites of the Yongsan tragedy or the Sewol Ferry disaster, Ven. Myeongjin was always on the front lines. He was known for holding the hands of the grieving and demanding strict accountability from those in power, never hesitating to speak truth to authority.
Tributes have poured in from across the political and social spectrum. President Lee Jae-myung expressed his deep condolences on social media on the day of the tragic accident, writing, "I cannot suppress my shock and grief at the sudden passing of Ven. Myeongjin. I share the heavy sorrow of the entire nation in losing a great elder of the Buddhist community." Recalling a lunch meeting with the monk in July of last year, President Lee added, "I will forever remember and honor his life of embodying equality, peace, and boundless compassion for the suffering masses."
Ven. Myeongjin spent his entire life standing at the precipice, fighting relentlessly against the currents of injustice. In his final moments, he chose to dive into the deepest, most untamed waters of Jeju, leaving behind the suffocating constraints and long legal battles of the secular world. Though his physical form has returned to nature, the profound ripples of his courageous, unrestrained life will undoubtedly continue to inspire generations to come.
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