Gwanghwamun Gate - Guards in Joseon Colors

Photo: Pinterpandai, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Seoul Palaces, Bukchon and Insadong, a free self-guided tour.

This is Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, first built in 1395. Its story mirrors Korea's modern history. During Japanese colonial rule the gate was taken apart and moved in the 1920s to make way for a colonial government building. It burned during the Korean War, came back in concrete in 1968, and was finally rebuilt in wood on its original spot in 2010. In 2023 the long stone platform in front, the woldae, was restored, and a new signboard went up with gold characters on black, matched to an 1893 photograph.

Come at the right time and you will see the royal guard changing ceremony, a colorful reenactment based on Joseon records and staged here since 1996. Guards in bright robes and helmets march with banners and musicians as the gatekeepers hand over the watch. It usually runs mid-morning and early afternoon, but times change with the season and the weather, so check the palace website. Stand to the side and let the procession pass.

Getting here: Walk north along the plaza for about 300 meters and cross at the crosswalk to the stone platform in front of the gate.

Did you know?: About 40 original stones from the gate's platform turned up at Donggureung, a royal tomb site outside Seoul, and were brought back for the 2023 restoration.

Photo op: When the guards line up, shoot from the plaza side so their bright uniforms sit beneath the gold-on-black signboard of the gate.

More on Wikipedia: Gwanghwamun · Wanggung Sumunjang · Gyeongbokgung

Gwanghwamun Gate - Guards in Joseon Colors

Stops on this tour