Naegeumwi () was a military unit during the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

period of

Korean history The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earliest ...

between 1407 and 1910, responsible for protecting the king and the royal family. The number of royal guards varied between 60 and 200, at times may have reached 300.

Inspection ceremony

The monarch held random inspections of the royal guards, with the tolling of the Cheobjong bell(첩종,疊鐘), which notified the guards that the king was approaching

Gwanghwamun Gate Gwanghwamun () is the main and largest gate of Gyeongbok Palace, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is located at a three-way intersection at the northern end of Sejongno. As a landmark and symbol of Seoul's long history as the capital city ...

. The bell could be heard in central

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, as well. The guards had to line up in formation and display their combat skills and tactical skills, according to the ''Owijinbeob'' (오위진법,五衛陣法), which was a contemporary document recording various movements and strategies, considered to be the most modern at the time. The royal guards had to defend the east side of the field (the king's left side), during a mock battle with the Gyeomsabok (겸사복,兼司僕) cavalry units, who would attack from the right (west) side. At the end of the inspection the king would display his displeasure or satisfaction with the skills and performance of the Naegeumwi.

Re-enactments

The royal guard system was dissolved in 1910. In modern days, re-enactments of the royal guards' inspection ceremony are performed for tourists at the Gyeongbokgung Palace during high season.

References

External links

* {{commonscat-inline, Naegeumwi Joseon dynasty Military history of Korea Military units and formations Royal guards

Inspection ceremony

Re-enactments

See Also

References

External links