서울특별시 중구 세종대로 40 (남대문로4가)

About

The 'Sungnyemun Guard Ceremony' guarding Sungnyemun is officially closed on Mondays, and operates every day except Monday from 10:00 to 15:40. 'Pasu' (把守) refers to the defense of the capital city walls and was one of the important military ceremonial rites of the Joseon Dynasty. During the Joseon Dynasty, the defense of the capital was a matter of utmost importance, and it emerged as a serious issue especially after the Imjin War and the Byeongja Horan during the reign of King Seonjo. The Guard Ceremony is a military rite of the Joseon Dynasty that connects the opening and closing ceremonies of the capital city gates at Injeong and Paru with the patrol ceremony, and considering its position and role within the central military system, it was as important as guarding the royal palace. The procedure of the 'Sungnyemun Guard Ceremony' is as follows: the guard soldiers line up in front of Sungnyemun, their post, and the Geumrugwan (timekeeper official) appears to announce the Paru (drum signal), followed by signals from the nagak (conch shell) and nabal (trumpet). Under the command of the Hogun (guard officer), the guard soldiers perform the ceremony of opening the Sungnyemun gate. Then, the guard ceremony to defend Sungnyemun begins, and after the shift change between the 1st and 2nd guard units, the guard ceremony is conducted. Following this, six more shift-change and guard ceremonies are held, and then under the command of the Hogun, the guard soldiers perform the ceremony of closing the Sungnyemun gate.

Machine-translated from Korean. It may contain errors — the Korean original is kept next to short entries.