hankyoreh

Venerable Pomnyun

By Choi Won-hyung, staff reporter

Arianna Huffington, who triggered a new wave in global media with her Huffington Post website, is meeting the Venerable Pomnyun, a Korean Buddhist monk whose sermons on alternative ways of living have many calling him the “mentor of an era.”

Huffington Post Korea, a joint venture by the Huffington Post and the Hankyoreh, is staging a “talk concert” between Huffington and Pomnyun at the NH Art Hall (near Seodaemun Station) at 2 pm on Feb. 28.

The event, which commemorates the launch of Huffington Post Korea on the same day, will be moderated by Son Mi-na, a writer and former television announcer who is now working as the site’s editorial director. Admission is available to the first 400 people who arrive, with a raffle to award donated copies of books by Huffington and Pomnyun to 120 people. The event will be broadcast live on hanitv.com and the portal site Daum.

Huffington has been named one of the world’s most influential people by Forbes and Time. The Huffington Post, which she founded in 2005, passed the New York Times website for number of visits in 2012 and has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for reporting.

Pomnyun is considered one of the leading intellects in South Korea today, preaching on how to harmonize cultivation with social engagement as chairman of the JungTo Society and the Peace Foundation.

In 2002, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, which has been called the “Asian Nobel Peace Prize.” He has also had a major impact at home, with most of his books - including “The Monk’s Wedding Message,” “Class for Mothers,” and “Class for Life” - making the bestseller lists.

The two are going to discuss a range of topics, including ways to harness personal energy into social engagement, rest and meditation, environment and sharing, historical issues in South Korea, happiness, and the role of the Huffington Post.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]