Royal Guards ceremony becomes must-see tourist attraction in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea – Crowds flocked to the Daehanmun Gate of Deoksu Palace in Central Seoul Saturday afternoon to watch the enactment of the changing of the Royal Guards scheduled for 2 o’clock.

SEOUL, South Korea – Crowds flocked to the Daehanmun Gate of Deoksu Palace in Central Seoul Saturday afternoon to watch the enactment of the changing of the Royal Guards scheduled for 2 o’clock.

The program has become a must-see tourist attraction, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

“We have seen thousands of tourists every day as travel agents included the event as part of their tour itinerary,” said Kim Won-il, an official of the cultural heritage division of the city government. “You can see many foreigners here every Tuesday (as tourists groups usually arrive in Seoul that day).”

Kim, who is in charge of the tourism program, showed up there on Saturday to see if the ceremony was going well.

Since the performance was first introduced in 1996, it has taken place at the gate three times a day at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., except Mondays when Deoksu Palace is closed.

Kim said that the Royal Guards performance faithfully follows the gatekeepers of Gyeongbok Palace did during the late Joseon Dynasty.

Seoul City decided to launch another Royal Guards ceremony at Deoksu Palace as City Hall, a tourist hot spot, is right across the street.

“The changing of the Royal Guard in Geyongbok Palace showcases the one held in the early Joseon Dynasty. If you look closely at the costumes that the troops wear, you will see a difference. Deoksu gatekeepers are very colorful and this is the key characteristic of costumes of the late Joseon era,” explained Kim.

At 2 o’clock, the performance began as two officials, called Juseo and Sayak, come up to the gate from the palace to supervise the ceremony.

A young volunteer wearing a traditional costume beats a drum set up near the gate to signal the beginning of the changing of the guard.

Then a superintendent of the changing ceremony issues a password, which is changed every day, to the commander of the gate-keeping troops.

An official in charge of the gate key comes forward and makes sure the vice commander of the outgoing guards hands over the gate key box to the vice commander of the incoming Royal Guards. Both commanders verify each other’s identity.

Once this is done, the commander of the outgoing guards hands over the duty verification card to the incoming commander. The gate-keeping guards who have completed their duties then leaves the site.

Sounds of bugles and drum beats are heard during the 30-minute ceremony.

A brief explanation of each procedure was provided in Korean for tourists through a PA system followed by translation services into English, Chinese and Japanese.

City official Kim said that the sightseeing program will draw many more tourists if the city can secure more space for the performance.

He was referring to a sizable flower bed set up near the corner of the gate last year after dismissed Ssangyong auto workers had launched years-long sit-in protests there.

“We used the space before the sit-in protests began. Narrow space made it difficult for more tourists to enjoy the program,” Kim said.

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Linda Hohnholz

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