Old Age, Sickness & Death: Buddhist Monastic Retirement & Eldercare Within South Korea’s Super-Aged Society

As the Buddhist monastic community in Korea has entered an era marked by aging demographics, the issues surrounding the welfare of the order’s monastics in their retirement years have become increasingly pressing. In response, in 2011, the Jogye Order enacted the Monastic Welfare Act and established the Monastic Welfare Society with the aim of enabling monks to fully devote themselves to their religious duties by assuming institutional responsibility for their healthcare, pension, residential welfare, and end-of-life needs. Over a decade since the system’s implementation, the Jogye Order has achieved notable progress towards achieving the Monastic Welfare Act’s aims. However, while the order has stabilized medical coverage for its clergy, there remain considerable gaps in its provisions for income and housing for elderly monastics. This article surveys the Jogye Order’s efforts to establish systemic care for its elderly monastics, with a particular focus on the Jogye Order’s 2011 Monastic Welfare Act and subsequent activities of the Monastic Welfare Society. It then critically examines the current state of eldercare within the order, along with its strengths and weakness, before engaging in a comparative discussion regarding the clerical eldercare and welfare systems provided by both the Korean Catholic Church and the Thai Buddhist community.