CULTURE · EVENTS
Free Changing of the Royal Guard at Gwanghwamun Gate, No Palace Ticket Needed, 10 am and 2 pm (Closed Tuesdays)
Why NOW picked itA good quick stop if you want something to watch at Gwanghwamun without buying a palace ticket. Catch the 10 am change and stay for the 11 am ritual and you're done in about an hour; it doesn't run on Tuesdays.
The royal guard changing ceremony takes place in the square in front of Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung's main gate, at 10 am and 2 pm. Watching is free, you don't need a palace ticket, and it doesn't run on Tuesdays.
Twice a day in front of the gate, 20 minutes each
According to a Seoul city page from April 2026, the changing of the guard runs at 10 am and 2 pm for about 20 minutes. It happens in the square and on the wolldae platform in front of Gwanghwamun.
You never have to step inside the palace, so if the timing works you can stop and watch on the spot.
Two smaller rituals fill the gaps
Between the changes, a Gwanghwamun guard ritual runs at 11 am and 1 pm for about 10 minutes. The guards' public drill is at 9:35 am and 1:35 pm, about 15 minutes.
Catch the 10 am change and stay for the 11 am ritual and you've seen both in a little over an hour.
Skip Tuesdays and bad weather
Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays, and the ceremony can be cancelled or moved by weather. This summer all schedules were halted under a heat emergency alert, and a cancellation notice was posted for Oct. 18.
Check the official site's notices before you go, or call the ceremony office at +82-2-6462-7402. The site has an English switch.
Sources & context
2026-10-26T09:18:52.746Z
Seoul Media Hub on the Gwanghwamun guard ceremony (Apr. 17, 2026) ↗Official Royal Guard ceremony site, notices and contacts ↗Segye Ilbo on the ceremony being halted in the heat (Aug. 5) ↗Wikimedia Commons, Gyeongbokgung Royal Guard ceremony ↗Wikimedia Commons, ceremony in front of Heungnyemun ↗A royal guard ceremony in front of Gyeongbokgung's Heungnyemun (taken March 2016; not a photo of the Gwanghwamun changing ceremony). Photo by Korea.net, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Spectators gather around a royal guard ceremony in front of Heungnyemun (taken March 2016; not a photo of the Gwanghwamun changing ceremony). Photo by Korea.net, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
