Seoul Royal Palace Guard Changing Ceremony

Now, I'd like to introduce the "Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony at Seoul Royal Palace."

The Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony at Seoul Royal Palace is organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and reenacts the changing of the chief gatekeeper and the gatekeepers at the palace's main gate, where the king lived during the Joseon Dynasty.

To begin, the government body that supervised the chief gatekeepers in the Joseon Dynasty was called the Sumunjangcheong. The gatekeepers were put into shifts and given the roles of gatekeeper, Chamha, and sixth level chief gatekeeper. They were responsible for guarding the palace gate, keeping an eye for onlookers, opening and closing the gate, and patrolling the inside and outside of the palace.

Now, let's learn more about the Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony at Seoul Royal Palace.

After the Gaesiktago, in which the Eomgosu strikes the drum three times, the Gunhohabuuisik begins, marking the beginning of the Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony. Here, the Gunho is a daily code word, limited to three letters, approved by the king and sent to the chief gatekeeper and other guards.

The chief gatekeeper and gatekeepers on duty are then stationed in front of the palace gate, and the chief gatekeeper and gatekeepers on patrol inside the palace move to the plaza in front of the palace entrance to get ready for their shift.

In the second step, called the Gunhoeungdae, the Chamha on duty and those covering a shift will verify each other's identities using their Gunho or military names.

This is when the Chamaluisik is held to officially introduce the new chief gatekeeper. The new chief gatekeeper goes over to the previous chief gatekeeper, states his name and rank, announces his new appointment, and asks to confirm appointment letter called Gyoji to the previous chief gatekeeper. After that, the new chief gatekeeper moves to where his subordinate gatekeepers are stationed to introduce himself and assesses whether or not they are prepared for duty.

The following is the procedure for receiving Yaksiham, which is a chest containing the keys to the palace gate with a verbal order of Choeom, and handing down the roles of the chief gatekeeper with a verbal order of Jungeom. The Busin is matched between the chief gatekeepers to check each other's identities, and the Wijangpae, a plaque proving the identity of the chief gatekeeper, is delivered.

When the Sameom command, which is the last command of the ceremony, is given, the gatekeepers switch their positions for shifts.

The command Yepil, which denotes the end of the change ceremony, is given to the gatekeepers, who then depart to their respective positions for Sunra or patrol.

The ceremony is held twice a day, Tuesday through Sunday (except Mondays), at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Apart from the ceremony, visitors are invited to participate in experiencing events. The Gaesiktago Experience, where visitors can play the drum that announces the start of the Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony, the One-day Chief Gatekeeper, where visitors can become a gatekeeper of the day, and the Traditional Clothing Experience, where the visitors can try on traditional Joseon Dynasty clothing, are also available.

By holding events like these, we raise public and international tourist knowledge of Seoul's rich cultural legacy, give tourist information, and provide the greatest attractions to improve Korea's reputation and contribute to vitalizing the local economy. The Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony at Seoul Royal Palace will become an even more appealing traditional cultural event with your support and encouragement.

Thank you for listening to the introduction of the Chief Gatekeeper Change Ceremony at Seoul Royal Palace.

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