Editorial photo #14004769 Human Interest

Haeinsa Temple Preserves The Tripitaka Koreana Through Traditional Recarving And Printing

Venerable Kyung Am, director of the Haeinsa Research Center and president of the Preservation Society for Bulbokjang Jakbeop (National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 139), observes monks training in traditional woodblock engraving for the recarving of the Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa's Janggyeong Dogam (Woodblock Engraving School), located about a five-minute drive from Haeinsa Temple, on July 24, 2026, in Hapcheon, South Korea. The school trains monks in the traditional art of woodblock engraving for the recarving of the Tripitaka Koreana. The fourth class is currently in training, and a total of 502 monks, including the current trainees, have participated in the program to preserve the centuries-old woodblock engraving tradition. Haeinsa, one of South Korea's three major Buddhist temples, is home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Janggyeong Panjeon Depositories, which house the UNESCO Memory of the World-listed Tripitaka Koreana (Daejanggyeong). The temple is undertaking traditional woodblock recarving and printing projects to help preserve and digitally archive the Tripitaka Koreana. (Photo by Chris Jung/NurPhoto)