The monastery has had a turbulent history, affected by the Second Japanese invasion (1597–1598) and the Korean War. One of the former abbots, Sokchin, wrote an anthology in 1932 based on extant references of the history of Songgwangsa. Master Kusan (1901–1983), an important disciple of Hyobong, was ordained and resided at the temple for some time in the 1940s. It has produced 16 national preceptors.
