2026 Sungnyemun Watch Duty Ceremony

The 'Sungnyemun Watch Duty Ceremony,' which guards Sungnyemun, is closed every Monday and runs daily except Mondays from 10:00 to 15:40. Pasu (watch duty) refers to the defense of the capital city, and was one of the important military ceremonies of the Joseon dynasty. Defense of the capital was the most critical issue of the Joseon dynasty, and it became an especially serious problem during the reign of King Seonjo, amid crises such as the Imjin War (Japanese invasions of Korea) and the Byeongja War (Manchu invasion). The watch duty ceremony was a Joseon-era military ceremony that linked the opening and closing of the capital gates—performed at injeong (the evening curfew bell) and paru (the dawn bell)—with the patrol ceremony. Considering its position and role within the central military system, it was a ceremony no less important than guarding the palace walls. The procedure of the 'Sungnyemun Watch Duty Ceremony' is as follows: the watch guards line up in formation in front of Sungnyemun, their post, and the geumnugwan (timekeeping official) appears to announce paru, after which signals are sounded on the nagak (conch horn) and nabal (long horn). At the command of the hogun (guard commander), the watch guards carry out the gate-opening ceremony of Sungnyemun. The watch duty ceremony guarding Sungnyemun then begins, with the 1st watch guard unit and 2nd watch guard unit performing a shift change before continuing the watch duty ceremony. This is followed by 6 rounds of shift-change and watch duty ceremonies, after which, at the command of the hogun, the watch guards carry out the gate-closing ceremony of Sungnyemun.