Monks vs. Anglican Priests: Friendly Jokgu Match in Ganghwa
Creatrip Team
20 days ago
On June 21 in Ganghwa, the 10th annual jokgu (a Korean foot-volleyball game) friendly tournament brought together clergy and parishioners from nearby Jeondeungsa temple and Onsu-ri Anglican Church. The event, alternating hosts each year, promotes neighborly ties between the two historic communities—Jeondeungsa, a temple dating back to Goguryeo, and Onsu-ri Church, founded in 1898 with a traditional hanok (Korean house) church beside a Western basilica. Matches were played in three categories—clergy, competitive parishioners, and general parishioners—best-of-three sets to 15 points. The Anglican clergy won the clergy match 2-0; Jeondeungsa took the other two categories. Beyond sport, the relationship includes mutual aid: when a local disability-support bean-sprout factory burned in 2019, donations (including from the temple) helped rebuild it, and a later large donation was pledged over a meal in the temple’s communal dining hall (gongyanggan). The tournament day became a village festival with local officials attending and communal food shared afterwards, underscoring community spirit and interfaith friendship.
