Gyeongbok Palace royal guard programs fully halted for first time due to extreme heat
The changing of the guard ceremony has been canceled before due to rain and other weather, but this marks the first time that standing guard duty has been fully suspended since the program began in 2002.
A royal guard patrol ceremony re-enacts a Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) patrol at Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 1.
NEWS1
All programs related to the royal palace guards, including standing guard duty, at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul have been suspended due to the extreme heat.
The guard changing ceremony has been canceled before due to rain and other weather conditions, but this marks the first time that standing guard duty has been fully suspended since the program began in 2002.
The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service announced the suspension on its website on Wednesday.
“In accordance with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s heat wave emergency warning guidelines, all programs related to the royal guards will be suspended,” the center said.
The suspension was made as a precaution, according to an official from the center.
“This measure is intended to prevent heat-related illnesses among visitors and ensure their safety,” the official explained.
The programs will resume once the government lifts the heat wave emergency warning.
A heat wave emergency warning is issued when an area has endured at least two straight days with an apparent temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher and is expected to see an apparent temperature of at least 38 degrees Celsius for a day or a daytime high of 39 degrees Celsius or above.
Launched around the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the changing of the royal palace guard at Gyeongbok Palace is one of Korea’s signature traditional cultural events. Guards, donning period-appropriate clothes and weapons provided by the center, re-enact the royal security practice of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The event takes place twice a day at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. near Heungnyemun, the palace’s second gate.
A separate 10-minute performance depicting guards being inspected and changing shifts at the gate is held twice daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. A public training session, in which palace guards rehearse shift changes and military exercises under a chief’s command, takes place at 9:35 a.m. and 1:35 p.m.
The assignment of guards at Gwanghwamun is known as standing guard duty. The program was scaled back in 2022 because of the Covid-19 pandemic but has never been fully suspended until now.
BY HA NAM-HYUN [kim.hayoon1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
