Gen Z and Millennials Form Long Lines: The Craze of "Accumulating Merit with Every Press"

An increasing number of young people are visiting temples to purchase Buddhist merchandise.

Long lines of people waiting outside temples to buy these products have also been observed.

On September 12, a long line of people formed in front of the Buddhist supply store at Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul.

They were waiting to purchase the so-called "merit key ring."

The merit key ring is a piece of Buddhist merchandise shaped like a small wooden percussion instrument (moktak) that produces a sound when pressed.

It quickly went viral on social media, fueled by the playful interpretation that one unit of merit is accumulated with every press.

Although purchases were limited to three per person on that day, the entire stock sold out in just 50 minutes after sales began.

Analysts suggest that Buddhism is recently being consumed as a hip culture among the younger generation, leading to a boom in merchandise.

In fact, approximately 250,000 people visited the Seoul International Buddhism Expo held in April.

Visitors in their 20s and 30s accounted for 70 percent of the attendees.

(Source of footage: Threads @youritem.zip, Instagram capture; Source of article: Newsis)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.