Seoul City Breathes New Life into Downtown and Delivers Hope to Weary Citizens
[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Changing of the Royal Guard ceremony at Deoksugung Palace, which had been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume after more than eight months.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that the Changing of the Royal Guard ceremony and the patrol procession held in front of Daehanmun Gate at Deoksugung Palace will resume starting from the 20th. The Changing of the Guard ceremony will be held three times a day from Tuesday to Sunday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., and the patrol procession will take place after the 11 a.m. ceremony.
The resumption of the Changing of the Guard ceremony and the patrol procession follows the adjustment to Level 1 social distancing measures. Seoul expects these events to revitalize the city center, which has been exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 situation, and to deliver courage and hope to citizens.
The Changing of the Royal Guard ceremony is a ritual where the royal guards patrolling around the main gate of Deoksugung Palace exchange duties with the guards stationed at the palace gate. Since 1996, Seoul has held this ceremony to introduce the historic city of Seoul to citizens and foreign visitors and to provide opportunities to experience traditional culture. From last year until January this year, the number of spectators reached 592,584.
The 'Gae-sik Ta-go' experience, where citizens directly beat the drum to signal the start of the Changing of the Guard ceremony, will also resume. However, high-contact experience events such as 'I am also a Royal Guard,' where visitors can become a royal guard themselves, and traditional costume experiences will remain temporarily suspended.
The patrol procession is a ceremony where the royal guards who have completed the Changing of the Guard patrol the surrounding area. Thirty personnel, including royal guards carrying the sujanggi (flag representing the royal guard unit) and sunsigi (flag indicating patrol duty), musicians playing traditional Korean instruments called chira-cheok, signalers called eomgosu who send signals with drums, and the royal guard commander and his adjutant called chamha, responsible for palace defense, march solemnly and majestically to the sound of horns and drums.
The resumed patrol procession will depart from the previous fixed routes (Daehanmun Gate to Seoul Plaza, Daehanmun Gate to Sungnyemun Gate to Namdaemun Market) and will instead be held at different locations each day: Sungnyemun Gate (Tuesdays and Sundays), Gwanghwamun Plaza (Wednesdays), Seoul-ro 7017 (Thursdays), Cheonggye Plaza (Fridays), and Namdaemun Market (Saturdays).
Before the patrol procession, the Sungnyemun Gate Guard Changing Ceremony, where the fortress guards defending the city walls exchange duties, will also resume. It can be viewed at 11:40 a.m. from Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays).
Seoul plans to strictly adhere to COVID-19 prevention guidelines by deploying safety personnel at event sites to maintain social distancing and monitor crowd density. Additionally, performers participating in the Changing of the Royal Guard ceremony will have their temperatures checked daily upon arrival and will be continuously monitored to determine their participation. All events are subject to change depending on the COVID-19 situation.
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