“(Suncheon=News1) Reporter Seo Soon-kyu = The city of Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, announced on the 13th that ten items, including the ‘Papillon Chair’ made and used by the late Buddhist monk Beopjeong at Bulgiram, Songgwangsa in Suncheon, have been selected as preliminary modern cultural heritage sites.”
“The preliminary cultural heritage designation is a system in which the National Heritage Administration selects items that are less than 50 years old since their construction, creation, or formation, but hold high preservation value as potential future registered cultural heritage,” it explained.
“The ‘Papillon Chair’ is a wooden chair handmade by the monk in 1976, using wood meant for firewood at Bulgiram in Songgwangsa, Suncheon. It symbolizes the humble life of an ascetic.”
“The name ‘Papillon’ carries the meaning of introspection on one’s practice and solitude while sitting on the chair, inspired by the protagonist of the film Papillon, who wasted his life trapped on a remote island.”
A city official stated, “Beopjeong Sunim provided a deep resonance to the public with his teaching of ‘non-possession,’ transcending religion. This selection as a preliminary cultural heritage site will serve as a meaningful opportunity to pass on his philosophy to future generations and expand it as an intellectual asset of the Suncheon region.”