Seongcheol has been a hero of mine for awhile now. Everyday for the past few months I have been studying Korean. I am considering South Korea as a possible place to ordain. Yet, as an American, I often read on blogs and in the news that Koreans are rather xenophobic, leading to some of the strictest immigration laws in the world. Does anyone know whether or not the government will let me maintain a visa merely to live as a monk?

I can tell you that it's not easy for foreign monks here. But there are some. Hwa Gye Sa is a central place for them; Mu sang sa is the other place.

http://www.seoulzen.org/information.html

http://www.musangsa.org/english/main.ph