▲ This Yonhap file photo shows visitors watching the ceremonial changing of the royal guards at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Yonhap) -- The ceremonial changing of the royal guards at Seoul's Gyeongbok Palace has been suspended as South Korea continues to endure extreme heat, heritage authorities said Wednesday.

 

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service announced on its website that all scheduled guard-changing programs have been suspended in accordance with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's highest-level heat wave warning guidelines.

 

The guard-changing ceremony reenacts the royal guard traditions of the Joseon Dynasty.

 

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency have been staging the event twice daily, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., in the Heungnyemun Gate area of Gyeongbok Palace, with performers wearing reproductions of early Joseon-era uniforms and carrying period weapons.

 

A separate 10-minute sentry inspection ceremony, depicting soldiers guarding Gwanghwamun Gate and changing shifts, has also been held daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

 

The two organizations said all related events, including the guard-changing ceremony, will remain suspended until the highest-level heat wave warning is lifted.

 

"The suspension is intended to prevent heat-related illnesses among performers and visitors and ensure their safety," a Royal Palaces and Tombs Center official said. "The programs will resume once the highest-level heat wave warning is lifted."

 

The highest-level heat wave warning is issued when the daily maximum apparent temperature has remained at or above 35 degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive days and is forecast to reach at least 38 C, or when the daily high temperature is expected to reach at least 39 C for one day or more.

 

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued additional highest-level heat wave warnings at 10 a.m. Wednesday for parts of Gyeonggi Province, South Chungcheong Province and southern Incheon.

 

Including areas such as Seoul, where the warning had already been issued and remains in effect, 20 of the 46 land-based weather advisory zones in the greater Seoul area, or about 43 percent, are currently under the highest-level heat wave warning.

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]