Exchange with the Chinese Buddhist circle was done by request of Supreme Patriarch Sangwol Wongak. Supreme Patriarch Sangwol
Wongak made his pilgrimage to Gukcheongsa Temple, Tiantai Mountain and entrusted his students to do saying "If diplomatic relations
between Korea and China will be established in the future, Make your pilgrimage to Gukcheongsa Temple, Tiantai Mountain, the basic
sacred place of Tiantai Buddhism."
So, executives of Tiantai Buddhism including Jeon, Wun-deok, the director of the Executive office, Ju, Jeong-won, the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and Park, Hyeong-cheol, the director of the Upper House well as Supreme Patriarch Nam Dae-chung Daejongsa arrived at Gukcheongsa Temple, Tiantai Mountain via Hong Kong on October 1990. At this moment, the diplomatic relations between Korea and China was not established. However, they could visit the place because private exchange between the both countries were active.
As the both countries got to sign 「An Agreement on Friendship Exchange」, exchange between the Korean and Chinese Buddhist circles was begun. This exchange was historically meaningful in that it was the first exchange relationship with China. Other monastic order got to carry out exchange with the Chinese Buddhist circle owing to Tiantai Buddhism's leading exchange.
그 The main contents of 「the Agreement on Friendship Exchange」 are as follows:
1. Widen the path to be able to make a contribution to promotion of Buddhist culture by mutual goodwill visits;
2. Exchange materials necessary for studies on Buddhist culture with each other; and
3. 3. Make effort to do activities necessary for promoting friendship and friendly relations (交誼).
Academic forums have been held with China once per year since 2008. These forums that have alternately been held in Korea and China become the place for discussing each other's academic views and promoting international friendship.