Namdaemun Gate

Next to Namdaemun Market is Namdaemun Gate. It was the main gate for entrance into Seoul a long time ago. It was built in 1398 and rebuilt in 1448. It has been designated a National Treasure of Korea. There are at least two of these that I know of. The other one is Dongdaemun Gate. On my visit to Namdaemun Market, I spent a little while checking out the gate. The picture above is what the gate looks like from a distance.


As I was crossing the street to get a closer look, some men were reenacting some changing of the guard ceremony. The ceremony seemed to be about the guys in brown passing a wooden medallion. Maybe it signifies the key to the gate...?




Inside the gate were a blue and a green dragon painted on the ceiling.