As I have failed to witness the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony during my previous trips to South Korea, I made it a priority to visit Deoksugung Palace this time around. My son and I trooped to Deoksugung on our first Saturday here in Seoul (the week before Christmas Eve), and luckily, we were able to catch the 3:30 pm schedule of the ceremony.
We meet again, Deoksugung Palace!
This is Daehanmun Gate, the main gate of the palace.
Held thrice a day everyday (except Mondays when the palace is closed to the public), the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a great opportunity to experience a rare traditional scene. The ceremony is quite similar to Buckingham Palace's Changing of the Guards, with the same colorful spectacle and gallant pageantry.
Yue with the guards, prior to the ceremony.
Patiently waiting for the ceremony to start.
The ceremony begins with the entire troop matching towards the gate, together with a musical accompaniment. The guards's splendid costumes, complete with weapons such as swords and bows and arrows, and the use of traditional musical instruments, are a sight to behold.
Marching towards the gate.
Musicians with traditional musical instruments.
The guards, with their weapons.
Everybody in position.
Supervised by a government official, the guards exchange passwords for verification. An eight-minute guard ceremony comes next, followed by a seven-minute change ceremony, and then capped by a closing march or the so-called 'patrol'.
Password verification.
Guard ceremony.
Change ceremony.
Towards the end of the ceremony, the palace staff removed the ropes that cordoned the ceremony area and ushered us spectators towards the guards for photo ops. Yue, who was so impressed by the ceremony, became even more excited when he heard that he can take photos with the royal guards.
This man was very friendly, he called Yue towards him and said 'Here, picture!"
Who's your granddaddy? :)
FIERCE!
Everybody with their game faces on.
He was the only guy in the troop who smiled for the camera. :)
I think Yue has found a new profession. Haha!
Yue and the Royal Guards.
The ceremony, which lasts for more or less thirty minutes, is a must-see for tourists. Here's a snippet, just to give you an idea of how awesome this experience was.
And no, you do not need to buy tickets to watch this performance. You will only need tickets if you wish to enter the palace grounds, which we did.
Yue in the Palace (again)!
Compared to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Deoksugung Palace has cheaper admission rates - 1000 won for adults and 500 won for kids. Guided tours are also available, with English tours scheduled twice a day.
If you've ever been to Disney, you may have chosen to buy in to the Disney Vacation Club.
Did you know you can sell Disney timeshare when you’re no longer interested in owning it? Nowadays it’s easy to sell timeshare when you work with a licensed timeshare resale broker.
.jpg)
.jpg)
