2026 Sungnyemun Gate Guard Ceremony

About the festival

The Sungnyemun Gate Guard Ceremony is closed on Mondays and runs daily except Mondays from 10:00 to 15:40. Pasu (guarding) means defending the capital city and was one of the important military ceremonies of the Joseon era. Defending the capital was a critical matter, especially after the Imjin War and the Byeongja War during King Seonjo's time. The guard ceremony is a Joseon military rite that connects the gate opening and closing ceremonies at the times of Injeong and Paru with the patrol ceremony, and given its position and role within the central military system, it was as important as guarding the palace. In the ceremony, the guards line up in front of Sungnyemun, the Geumnugwan officer who announces Paru appears, and then the nagak and nabal horns sound. On the command of the commander, the guards perform the gate-opening ceremony. The guarding ceremony then begins, with a shift change between the 1st and 2nd guard units. Six changing and guarding ceremonies follow, and on the commander's order the guards perform the gate-closing ceremony.