Gyeongbokgung Changing of the Guard (2026): Times, Best Spot

Last checked: October 18, 2026 · Sources: Royal Palaces and Tombs Center notices, Korea Heritage Agency programme pages, Seoul royal guard ceremony site, linked below.

The Gyeongbokgung changing of the guard runs at 10:00 and 14:00 and takes about 20 minutes. A shorter guard duty show follows at Gwanghwamun Gate at 11:00 and 13:00. You watch from the courtyard between Gwanghwamun and Heungnyemun, so there’s no ticket and no booking. Bad weather such as rain or extreme heat can cancel it on the day. From October 29 to November 1, 2026, the changing ceremony is replaced by the Cheopjong guard review (11:00 and 14:00) and a gate show at 10:00 and 13:00.

What time is the changing of the guard at Gyeongbokgung?

The Korea Heritage Agency runs four regular programmes at the palace’s front gates. The Korea Heritage Agency posts a monthly schedule on its notice board, and the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center posts changes in its own notices.

Programme	Times	Length
Changing of the Royal Palace Guard Ceremony	10:00, 14:00	About 20 min
Gwanghwamun guard duty performance	11:00, 13:00	About 10 min
Guard training session	09:35, 13:35	About 15 min
Guard patrol ceremony	15:00–16:00, weekends and public holidays	About 1 hour

After each ceremony and duty show, guards stand watch at Gwanghwamun every hour, so you can see guards at the gate most of the day.

The patrol only runs from March to May and from September to November. On Saturdays it stays inside Gyeongbokgung. On Sundays and holidays it goes from Gwanghwamun’s front terrace (Woldae) to Insadong, unless protests or road conditions move it back inside.

Does it run every day?

Gyeongbokgung itself closes on Tuesdays. If a Tuesday is a public holiday, the palace opens and closes on the next non-holiday day instead.

The guard ceremonies don’t run on Tuesdays either. The Korea Heritage Agency’s October 2026 schedule shows no ceremony on any Tuesday, when the palace is closed. If Tuesday is your only free day, see the Deoksugung ceremony instead (it’s off on Mondays).

On college entrance exam day (Thursday, November 19, 2026), the palace may open late and the morning ceremony may start later. In 2025 it moved from 10:00 to 10:10.

Special events sometimes replace the regular ceremony. In 2026, the Cheopjong guard review takes over the Heungnyemun courtyard from October 29 (public rehearsal) to November 1, at 11:00 and 14:00. On those four days there is no changing ceremony. The Gwanghwamun gate show runs at 10:00 and 13:00 instead, and the patrol on October 31 and November 1 starts at 15:30.

Will heat or rain cancel it?

Yes. Every notice warns that bad weather, such as rain or heat, can cancel or change the programme.

The heat rule is strict. When a heat wave serious warning is in force, a Ministry of the Interior and Safety guideline stops every ceremony programme, photo time included. It restarts once the Korea Meteorological Administration lifts the warning.

The weekend patrol takes a summer break altogether; this year’s season is in the box below.

Where should I stand to see the ceremony?

The changing ceremony uses the courtyard in front of Heungnyemun, the second gate, and ends at Gwanghwamun. Following the official procedure, the new guards line up and march to Gwanghwamun. There they salute the outgoing guards, check identities and take over the gate.

A Gyeongbokgung staff member told YTN in June 2026 that tickets are checked at Heungnyemun. So the courtyard where you watch is before the ticket gate.

In our view, the best spot for the 10:00 ceremony is along the path between Heungnyemun and Gwanghwamun, about 10 minutes early. You see the guards form up and then march past you to the gate. Standing right at Gwanghwamun only shows you the last part.

The official viewing rules are short:

Don’t touch the guards’ flags or weapons, and don’t talk to them when you take photos.
Don’t walk between the guards during the ceremony.
Watch your step at the restored Gwanghwamun and the central royal path; they’re at a different height from the ground.
Keep the noise down and ask the staff nearby if you have questions.

Gyeongbokgung or Deoksugung: which guard ceremony should I see?

Seoul has a second, separate ceremony at Daehanmun, the main gate of Deoksugung. Seoul City runs it, while the Korea Heritage Agency runs the Gyeongbokgung one. Both are free.

	Gyeongbokgung	Deoksugung
Run by	Korea Heritage Agency	Seoul City
Changing ceremony	10:00, 14:00	11:00, 14:00
Shorter shows	Gate duty 11:00, 13:00; training 09:35, 13:35	Gate guard on duty 10:00–15:30
Day off	Tuesdays (palace closed)	Mondays
Where	Heungnyemun courtyard to Gwanghwamun	In front of Daehanmun
Ticket	Not needed	Not needed
Nearest subway	Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) Exit 5	City Hall Station Line 1 Exit 2 or Line 2 Exit 12
Try it yourself	Photos with guards allowed	Booked roles and free costume try-on

Deoksugung’s ceremony runs all year except Mondays and some holidays; it was off on Chuseok Day (September 25, 2026). Seoul says rallies and weather such as rain or fine dust can cancel it. Cancellations are posted on the Seoul royal guard ceremony site.

Can I take part in a guard ceremony?

At Deoksugung, yes. Seoul offers two booked roles at each 11:00 and 14:00 ceremony, one person each, first come first served:

Experience	Who	Arrive	Booking
Be a gatekeeper (play the guard captain)	Elementary school age and up	1 hour before	Online from 00:00 on the 20th of the previous month; once a month
Opening drum (beat the drum that starts the ceremony)	Preschool children may not be able to join	30 minutes before	Same booking window
Traditional costume try-on	Anyone, no limit	During 10:30–15:30, weekends and holidays	Free, sign up on site

The two booked roles don’t run on Saturdays, because of regular rallies around Daehanmun. Booking is on royalguard.kr.

The Gyeongbokgung pages list no booked role for visitors. The Korea Heritage Agency says you can take photos with the guards, following the rules above.

What’s a good half-day plan around the ceremonies?

Our own plan, built from the official times. It assumes a day when both palaces are open (Wednesday to Sunday).

Plan	Arrive	Watch	Then
Gyeongbokgung morning	09:30 at Gwanghwamun	Training 09:35, changing 10:00	Enter the palace; catch the 11:00 gate show on your way out
Two palaces, one day	09:50 Gyeongbokgung, 13:50 Deoksugung	10:00 Gyeongbokgung, 14:00 Deoksugung	Lunch between; Deoksugung palace is open until 21:00
Deoksugung first	10:50 at Daehanmun	11:00 Deoksugung	Gyeongbokgung’s 14:00 ceremony, then the palace
Weekend patrol	14:50 at Gwanghwamun	Patrol 15:00 (Sundays to Insadong)	Walk on to Bukchon or Insadong

If you add Bukchon, mind its red zone: tourists are only allowed in from 10:00 to 17:00. Our Bukchon visiting hours guide explains it.

In our view, the 10:00 ceremony is the better pick at Gyeongbokgung. Afterwards you go straight into the palace while it’s still quiet. Keep the 14:00 one for a second palace or a rainy morning.

From October 29 to November 15, 2026, entry to Gyeongbokgung is free (closed Tuesdays). From November 1 the palace closes at 17:00, with last entry at 16:00.

Palace fees, opening hours and free entry in hanbok are in our hanbok rental and free palace entry guide.

How do I get there?

For Gyeongbokgung, the Korea Heritage Agency gives three subway options:

Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5
Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exit 2 (about 7 minutes’ walk)
Anguk Station, Line 3, Exit 1 (about 10 minutes’ walk)

For Deoksugung, use City Hall Station: Line 1 Exit 2 or Line 2 Exit 12. There’s no parking at Daehanmun. Fares and transfers are in our Seoul subway fares guide.

What’s changed this year?

Status box (checked October 18, 2026)

February 2026: the times were unchanged (10:00/14:00, 11:00/13:00, 09:35/13:35). Over the Seollal holiday (Feb 16–18), guards handed out up to 1,000 New Year paintings after each changing ceremony.
August 5, 2026: all Gyeongbokgung ceremony programmes stopped under a heat wave serious warning. They restarted on Saturday, August 8, after the warning was lifted on August 7.
August 21–26, 2026: Seoul’s site posted cancellations for several Deoksugung rounds. On October 13, 2026 the 11:00 Deoksugung round was cancelled for rain.
Chuseok 2026 (September 24–27): the Korea Heritage Service said you could watch the 10:00/14:00 ceremony, 11:00/13:00 gate show and 15:00 patrol without booking.
2026 patrol season: March 1 to November 29, weekends and holidays at 15:00, not June to August.
Cheopjong 2026: October 29 to November 1, with a gate show at 10:00 and 13:00 instead of the changing ceremony (Korea Heritage Agency, October 7, 2026). In 2025 it ran from October 30 to November 2.
College entrance exam day 2026 is Thursday, November 19. In 2025 the palace opened at 10:00 that day and the 10:00 ceremony moved to 10:10. No 2026 exam-day notice had been posted by October 18, 2026.