Who is Youn Sung-ho, this “monk” DJ at the forefront of cool Buddhism in South Korea ?

With his sets, Youn Sung-ho, comedian turned musician, helped to give a facelift to Buddhism in South Korea. Jung Yeon-je/AFP

Shaved head and long white monk's robe, a South Korean DJ mixes Buddhist texts and advice for daily life with dance music, to the delight of the audience who burst into flames.

With his sets, comedian-turned-musician Youn Sung-ho helped to revitalize Buddhism in South Korea, even if his performances made waves elsewhere, notably in Malaysia.

The 47-year-old man was welcomed with open arms by the Buddhist clergy of South Korea, who see in him a way to get closer to young people. A religious leader gave him the monk name “NewJeansNim”, adopted as a stage name by the DJ who was not ordained.

This name mixes "Seunim" – a respectful Korean title given to Buddhist monks – and other religious terms (no relation to the K-pop group Newjeans).

"Pain! Because I didn't get a raise. Pain ! Because Monday comes too quickly", chants NewJeansNim on stage, in front of hundreds of young Koreans dancing to the rhythm.

"This too shall pass, we will overcome", he says, citing Buddhist principles as the pulsations slow , during an electronic music concert organized for the lantern festival organized on Buddha's birthday, celebrated Wednesday in South Korea.

The images of his eccentric and energetic performances quickly went viral: Youn in a monk's robe with long flowing sleeves and a shaved head, dancing, singing and mixing.

"I didn't expect such a reaction. It's overwhelming", he confided to AFP before performing in Seoul last weekend. His inspiration as a Buddhist DJ came naturally to him, he assures. "My mother was Buddhist and I attended temples from a very young age, so Buddhism came naturally to me"< /em>.