Foreign tourists take commemorative photos in front of Gwanghwamun in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday, as a heat wave continues to grip the city. [Yonhap]
Foreign tourists take commemorative photos in front of Gwanghwamun in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday, as a heat wave continues to grip the city. [Yonhap]

The royal guard-changing ceremony at Gwanghwamun in Seoul has been suspended as an extreme heat wave continues to batter the country.

The Palace and Royal Tomb Management Office under the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Wednesday on its website that it was halting all scheduled royal guard-changing ceremony programs in accordance with the Ministry of Interior and Safety's guidelines for major heat wave alerts.

The Gyeongbokgung royal guard-changing ceremony recreates royal guard traditions from the Joseon Dynasty.

The Palace and Royal Tomb Management Office and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation stage the ceremony twice daily — at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. — near Heungnye Gate at Gyeongbokgung, with performers dressed in reproductions of early Joseon-era costumes and carrying period weapons.

A separate 10-minute patrol ceremony, depicting the inspection and changing of guards stationed at Gwanghwamun, is also held twice daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Both organizations plan to suspend the guard-changing ceremony and all related events until the major heat wave alert — the highest level of heat warning — is lifted.

"This is a measure to prevent heat-related illness and ensure the safety of performers and visitors," an official from the Palace and Royal Tomb Management Office said. "We plan to resume once the major heat wave alert is lifted."

A major heat wave alert is issued when the daily maximum perceived temperature is expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius or above — or the actual high is forecast to hit 39 degrees or above for at least one day — in areas where the perceived temperature has already exceeded 35 degrees for two or more consecutive days.

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued additional major heat wave alerts Wednesday morning for Gwangmyeong, Yeoncheon, Pocheon, Gapyeong, Namyangju, Uiwang, Hwaseong, eastern Yangpyeong and western Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province, as well as Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province and southern Incheon.

Including areas already under major heat wave alerts that had not yet been lifted — among them all of Seoul — 20 of the 46 land weather alert zones in the Greater Seoul area, or 43 percent, are now under a major heat wave alert.


husn7@heraldcorp.com