Changing of the Guards at Gyeongbokgung

This afternoon I went to see the changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung palace in central Seoul. Gyeongbokgung was the seat of power when Korea was a kingdom. Now the president of South Korea’s house is just behind it.

The palace is a short walk from a number of subway stations, including Anguk, Jonggak and Gwanghwamun. However, if you’re worried about getting lost take the subway to Gyeongbokgung station on line 3.

I’ve seen the changing of the guards ceremony twice now. I enjoyed it most on a Monday afternoon when there were few tourists around (it doesn’t happen on Tuesdays). Today on Saturday afternoon there were too many people laughing, chattering and generally getting in the way to allow the performance to have much atmosphere.

The ceremony takes place at intervals throughout the day. I don’t want to record the times here in case they change. This government Web site gives current information.

I am told by Koreans that the ceremony began in the mid-1990s and was inspired by the popularity of the changing of the guards in London. According to the government Web site I link to above it is an amalgamation of three separate traditional ceremonies. My favourite part of the ceremony was the traditional music played over the speakers, the beating of the drums and the large flags carried by the guards. In a city where so much tradition has been lost it is a nice thing to see.

I found out today that until the early 1990s there was a Japanese colonial period government building on the site of the palace. It was demolished so that the old palace could be reconstructed. Knowing that made me appreciate the rather uninteresting palace buildings a little more.

Can you imagine if a foreign power occupied your country, demolished much of the seat of government and built its own palace on the site? Once that colonial palace was demolished and the original structure was restored, wouldn’t you feel some fondness for it even if it was just a shadow of its former self?