Source: https://heyseorak.com/spots/sinheungsa-temple
Last-Updated: 2026-06-17

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# Sinheungsa Temple (신흥사)

Category: temple | Type: see, learn, do | Area: seoraksan | Price range: budget
Address: 1137 Seoraksan-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do
Phone: +82-33-636-7044
Hours: Mon–Sun Open 24 hr (Temple grounds are generally treated as always open, but Templestay programs, Seoraksan parking, cultural facilities, and cable-car logistics keep separate hours.)
English menu available: Yes

## Trust and freshness
- Verification: research / 2026-05-02
- Menu freshness: updated 2026-05-03T10:41:07.566+00:00

Sinheungsa Temple is Sokcho's essential Buddhist heritage stop inside Seoraksan. Founded in the Silla period as Hyangseongsa by the monk Jajang, the temple connects mountain scenery with mid-Joseon architecture, protected pagodas, Templestay culture, and a powerful modern repatriation story after a Joseon Buddhist painting was returned from The Met in 2025.

Pro tip: Admission to the temple is free, but Seoraksan-area parking is paid and can fill quickly on peak hiking days. Pair Sinheungsa with the Seorak Cable Car or the short walk to Hyangseongsa Three-story Stone Pagoda, then slow down around Geungnakbojeon Hall instead of treating the temple as only a trailhead photo stop.

## Story

### How it started
Sinheungsa traces its roots to A.D. 652, when the monk Jajang founded Hyangseongsa in the Silla dynasty. Later fires and rebuilding moved the temple through several names and sites before the present Sinheungsa became the main Buddhist landmark visitors encounter at the entrance to outer Seoraksan.

### Signature
The temple is not just old; it is still connected to living cultural heritage. In November 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the return of The Tenth King of Hell, a 1798 Joseon Buddhist painting believed to have originally belonged to Sinheungsa and to have left while the temple was under U.S. Army control during the Korean War. For foreign visitors, that story turns the temple into a place where Buddhist art, war history, and cultural-property restitution meet.

### Finding the place
Use Sinheungsa as the cultural anchor of a Seoraksan visit. The Great Unification Buddha is the most visible landmark, but the quieter value is inside the temple precinct: Geungnakbojeon Hall, Bojeru Pavilion, the bell, and nearby Hyangseongsa Three-story Stone Pagoda give the walk a clear heritage route.

### Seasonal notes
Autumn foliage and spring weekends are the busiest because Sinheungsa sits on the main Seoraksan visitor flow. Early morning is calmer, especially if you want photos without tour groups or time to read signs slowly.

### For international visitors
This is a strong first stop for visitors who want Korean history beyond palaces in Seoul. You can read it in three layers: Silla-era Buddhist foundation, Joseon temple architecture and painting, and the Korean War-era dispersal and return of cultural property.