[News Today] Robot monks lead lantern parades

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A week before Buddha's Birthday, Seoul's annual Lotus Lantern Festival lit up the city center over the weekend. This year's parade featured a first.

'Robot monks' appeared in the lantern procession, leading the march and drawing attention from the crowds. Here's our last story.

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Four humanoid robots in Buddhist monk attire show up to lead the Yeongdeunghoe or lotus lantern parade.

Their names are Gabi, Seokja, Mohee, and Nisa.

This is the robot monks' first appearance at the lantern parade. Before this, they were even initiated into Buddhism in an official ceremony.

The android monks walked 2.9 kilometers from Heunginjimun Gate to Tapgol Park.

A robot monk developed with Korean technology participated in another parade.

The AI robot monk is named Hyean.

Hyean was developed by implementing roughly 500 different data types about Buddhism.

At the center of keen public attention, these robot monks drew cheers from onlookers.

Kim Jin-hyang / Hwaseong resident

It was amazing to see a robot lotus lantern festival in the AI era.

The Jogye Order said this event demonstrated the possibility of Buddhism coexisting with cutting-edge technology.

Monk Jinyong / Secretary General, Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee

The event showed tradition and progress can come together. Communicating by integrating this trend reflects the tolerant spirit of Buddhism.

The Lotus Lantern Festival was inscribed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020.

Some 500,000 citizens including Buddhist followers took part in the lantern parade.