Korean Buddhism in modern times: internal and external problems

The article deals with the challenges that the Korean Buddhist community faces in modern times. We have identified the problems of internal and external origin. In our view, internal problems involve the disunity of Buddhist communities, difficulties in relations between upasakas and monks, as well as the character of monks’ activities. On the external level, Korean Buddhism faces the problem of slow adaptation to modern conditions and, as a result, due to this process there is a sharp decrease in the number of followers, particularly among the younger generation. Besides, it is important to search for new social roles that could contribute to the spread of Buddhist teachings. We have concluded that the Korean Buddhist community should find new ways to attract more followers, as well as achieve unity in solving internal problems.