OUR FOUNDER

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim is the founder and the Guiding Dharma Teacher of the Jungto Society. He joined a Buddhist Sangha in 1969 under the guidance of Ven. Bulsim Domun Sunim. He is not only a Buddhist monk but also a social activist who leads various movements in the role of a peace advocate, humanitarian relief expert, and an environmentalist.

In 1988, he founded the Jungto Society with the motto, “Pure Heart, Good Friends, and Clean Earth.” Under his guidance, the members of Jungto Society seek to become happy and create a peaceful society through practice and social engagement. He meets regularly with the general public at his Dharma Q&As, where he conveys the Buddha’s teachings in layman’s terms, so people can apply them in their daily lives and maintain inner peace.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been actively carrying out various social movements with the aim of overcoming the crises faced by our modern society. He has founded various social organizations including Ecobuddha to deal with environmental problems, Join Together Society (JTS) to provide humanitarian assistance and relief aid, the Peace Foundation to promote peace, and Good Friends to support refugees. Currently, he is serving as the chairperson of all four organizations.

https://www.jungto.org/pomnyun/

Ramon Magsaysay Award received for Peace and International Understanding for Ven.
Pomnyun's ongoing advocacy for human rights and peace

DHARMA TEACHER

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim seeks to spread the message of happiness and freedom. He firmly believes everyone can and has the right to be happy and free. This is made possible by becoming free of suffering and worldly attachment.

To that end, he relies on Buddha’s teachings, which still resonate after more than 2500 years. He seeks enlightenment while saving sentient beings, makes himself happy and free, then uses his time and energy to help address the sources of sufferings of others, be it discrimination, poverty, or regional conflicts. He has peace in his mind, and he has compassion towards other people. This is the life of a bodhisattva.

PEACE ACTIVIST

When he visited the Tumen River in China in the late 1990s, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim saw a starving child on the North Korean side of the river. He wanted to reach him to help, but he could not cross the border because South Koreans were not allowed to travel to North Korea. Birds could freely cross the border, but humans could not. He found it absurd that he had no idea that hundreds of thousands of fellow Koreans were starving in the North, and he could not help them. After this incident, his organization Good Friends published a report on the North Korea famine after interviewing hundreds of North Korean refugees in China who fled from the famine. The report was one of the first documents through which the international community learned about the urgency of the hunger situations in North Korea.

He has since worked tirelessly to address conflicts of all sorts, especially those originating in the Korean peninsula and other Asian countries. His unconventional and insightful approach to solving conflicts have informed and inspired Korean watchers in Korea and the U.S., including government officials, members of the congress, think tanks and NGOs.

In Mindanao, Philippines, his school building projects through JTS have brought the local government and Muslim groups together in remote mountainous areas. Parents from both sides worked together toward a common goal: to provide proper basic education to their children, something they had previously been unable to access. This collaboration has contributed to bringing peace to an area where people had been leaving due to ongoing conflict.

HUMANITARIAN AID EXPERT

When Ven. Pomnyun Sunim went on a pilgrimage to India, he met a woman begging for money to buy milk for her baby. In Dungeshwari, he also witnessed hundreds of begging children and wondered why they were not in school but instead on the street. Later he learned that the milk that the woman asked for cost only about two dollars. He also found out that the school-aged children on the street could not go to school because there was no school in the village. This experience struck him deeply. Since then, he has been vigorous in his efforts to eradicate starvation, diseases and illiteracy in the world.

As a part of such efforts, he has founded the Join Together Society (JTS), an international relief organization that operates under the motto: the hungry should have food, the sick should be treated, and children should be educated. For long-term aid projects, JTS has provided education, medical services and village development for areas such as Dungeshwari in India and Mindanao in the Philippines. JTS has also been active in providing emergency aid relief in regions struck by natural disasters.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim’s humanitarian efforts span across India, the Philippines and North Korea. JTS has also operated in other Asian countries including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Currently, JTS is conducting a sustainable development project in Bhutan.

ENVIRONMENTALIST

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim stresses the dangers of environmental degradation and lifestyles driven by overconsumption. Instead, based on Buddha’s teaching to respect all living beings, he promotes a simple lifestyle where people consume less.

Through Ecobuddha, an environmental NGO he founded in 1994, he has worked actively to raise public awareness and understanding of environmental issues. Since 1999, he has led the “Zero Food Waste” campaign and has promoted specific actions such as emptying one’s plate at every meal and composting food waste with worms.

MILESTONES

1953

Birth Place

Born to a farming family in rural South Korea.

Foundation of JTS

Founded Jungto Society, a Buddhist community with the aim of solving problems prevalent in a modern society such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation based on the teachings of Buddha.

1988
1993

Humanitarian Aid Organization

Committed to working with people of developing countries in Asia to promote equality, development, and sustainable livelihoods.

Good Friends

Founded Good Friends, a humanitarian rights organization aimed at providing humanitarian aid, advocating for human rights, and helping refugees.

1999
2002

Ramon Magsaysay Award

Received Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding for Ven. Pomnyun’s ongoing advocacy for human rights and peace.

 Peace Foundation

Founded Peace Foundation, a private research institute, to bring permanent peace, stability, and unification to the Korean Peninsula.

2004
2012

Q&A Sessions

Toured 300 different locations in South Korea to give Dharma Q&A sessions.

Tours

Toured Americas, Asia, and Europe, holding 115 Dharma Q&A sessions around the world.

2020

Provided 10,000 sets of protective clothing for medical workers in Rohingya refugee camps

2021

Delivered emergency relief to victims of Tropical Cyclone Rai

 

2022

Supplied food and essential items to victims of massive flooding in Pakistan

 

2023

– Funded the construction of four schools in Mindanao, Philippines—including two special education schools

– Provided emergency aid to earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria

– Funded hand water pumps and housing for flood victims in Pakistan

 

2024

– Funded the construction of a school in the Türkiye-Syria border region damaged by the earthquake

– Provided 3 million bars of antibacterial soap and 3 million bars of laundry soap for Rohingya refugees

 

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

We are a 100% VOLUNTEER
operated organization.

When you give, 97% of
every dollar goes straight
to the needy.

The hungry should have food
The sick should be treated
Children should be educated