Deoksugung Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony (덕수궁 왕궁수문장교대의식)

17.0Km 2025-07-11

99, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-2-737-6444

Deoksugung Palace has held a guard changing ceremony since 1996 after thorough historical research by leading historians. The ceremony, which is held in front of Daehanmun Gate of Deoksugung Palace, is a tradition similar to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace and offers a rare opportunity to experience royal culture. The royal gate is opened and closed at pre-determined times, and the gatekeepers in charge of guard duty and patrols hold a shift ceremony three times a day.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a highly recommended event for tourists. It is held three times a day, with each ceremony following the same procedure and lasts for forty minutes to an hour, and the ceremony is free of charge. There are no ceremonies on Mondays as well as on severely cold or hot days.

As the ceremony begins, the changing of the guards commences replete with traditional musical instruments, and exchanges a password for verification. An eight-minute guard ceremony ensues, followed by a seven-minute change ceremony, and finally a patrol that completes the ceremony. The procedure takes a dramatic turn when 18 guards in six official positions beat a drum and bellow some orders.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a great opportunity to experience a rare traditional scene. The guards’ splendid costumes, with their brilliant primary colors, are a pleasure to view. Once the ceremony is over, visitors can take pictures with the gatekeepers.

Seoul Plaza (서울광장)

17.0Km 2024-06-19

110 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2133-5640

Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall is a historic site where the March 1, 1919 (Samil) Independence Movement and the pro-democracy movement in June 1987 were held. It is also a well-known place where tens of thousands of Korean soccer fans gathered together to watch the 2002 World Cup Games. Being located within the center of the city and surrounded by many historic attractions, including Deoksugung Palace, Seoul Plaza has become a representative attraction of Seoul.

Deoksugung Palace's Daehanmun Gate (덕수궁 대한문)

17.0Km 2025-01-13

99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-771-9951

Located near City Hall station, Daehanmun Gate is the main gate of Deoksugung Palace, one of the princiapl five palaces of Joseon dynasty. The name "Daehan" means wish for eternal prosperity of the Korean Empire. In front of the gate, the Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is held twice daily, along with the reproduction of costumes and style throughout the year.

Jeongdong Culture Night (정동야행)

17.0Km 2025-05-20

99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3396-4625

Jeongdong Culture Night is dedicated to promoting the history and culture of Jeongdong, a neighborhood in Jung-gu, Seoul. The festival programs allow participants to understand how the history is connected to today's culture and offers an opportunity to view Jeongdong's cultural facilities in a different perspective.

Sonjung Bossam (손정보쌈)

17.0Km 2025-07-25

24 Samil-daero 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Sonjung Bossam offers dishes with a modern touch by reinterpreting traditional meals. Passed down for three generations, this restaurant values sincerity and careful attention in food making in order to serve every customer a heartwarming meal. Sonjung Bossam's signature dish Premium Gabri Bossam takes only the rarest pork cut, the blade-end fatback called "gabri" in Korean, and boils the meat using the restaurant's secret recipe for tender, juicy meat. The restaurant also serves their own special version of spicy stir-fried fish roe and intestines and haemultang (spicy seafood stew), boasting a generous amount of various seafood and rich broth. All meals are prepared wholeheartedly as if they are being served to a family.

Appenzeller Noble Memorial Museum (배재학당 역사 박물관)

17.0Km 2022-10-14

19, Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-319-5578

The Appenzeller Noble Memorial Museum is dedicated to Henry Gerhart Appenzeller, the missionary who opened the first Western-style educational institution in Korea in 1885. The school started with English and core subjects, but expanded into the Pai Chai University, Pai Chai High School, and Pai Chai Middle School and has many famous alumni, including Rhee Syng-man. The memorial hall opened in 2008 in the east wing of the original school building, which was built in 1916 and designated as a Seoul Monument. With dynamically arranged permanent exhibitions, annual special exhibitions and special lectures, the museum offers a unique learning experience to visitors and people with an interest in the history of education in Korea.

Sinchon Sisters Hostel (신촌 시스터즈)

17.0Km 2024-12-23

24 , Baekbeom-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
+82-10-4354-1613

Sinchon Sisters is a friendly guesthouse in Mapo-gu, Seoul, that caters for young travelers. Rooms are for two, three or four people, and each room has its own bathroom. There is no separate dining area, but you can bring food into your room and there’s a microwave for visitors’ use. Washing machines and dryers are also provided (payment needed). Transport is convenient: Sinchon Station and Sogang University Station are a 5 minutes’ walk away, and there are bus stops nearby - including for the airport express bus service. The Hongdae, Hapjeong, Mangwon, and Sangsu areas are all nearby.

Goobne Playtown (굽네 플레이타운)

17.1Km 2025-01-16

23 Jandari-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Goobne Playtown is a culture and experience center operated by Goobne, one of Korea's chicken franchises that specializes in oven-roasted chicken instead of the standard fried chicken. Visitors can taste the latest products in a relaxing space, as well as enjoy media art and changing items in the pop-up zone.

Jeongdong Observatory (정동전망대)

17.1Km 2022-08-11

15, Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-120

Jeongdong Observatory is located on the 13th floor of Seoul City Hall Seosomun building. The observatory has a cafe inside where visitors can enjoy a drink while gazing upon the magnificent view of Deoksugung Palace from above. In addition, the walls of the cafe are decorated with photos of old Jeongdong.

Uyungmyeongwan Cheonggyecheon Main Store (우육면관청계천점)

17.1Km 2024-04-19

75-2 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Uyungmyeongwan is a noodle restaurant specializing in uyungmyeon (beef noodle soup) located near Cheonggyecheon Stream. Its flagship dish is the uyungmyeon, which harmonizes tender meat with rich broth. In addition, they also sell freshly made sugyo (Chinese-style boiled mandu) filled with shrimp, pork, and young cabbage daily. Loved by locals and tourists alike for its clean yet flavorful broth and chewy noodles.

Deoksugung Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony (덕수궁 왕궁수문장교대의식) - Area information - Korea travel information