The Cultural Heritage Administration(CHA) said Wednesday that a ceremony will be held to appoint the commander of the Gyeongbok Palace gate guards this weekend.

The ceremony, co-organized by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation(CHF), will be held in front of Heungnyemun Gate of the palace at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

The ceremony reenacts the royal event conducted during the Joseon Dynasty, in which the incumbent king residing in the main royal palace appointed the commander of the gate guards in front of Heungnyemun Gate, which is located inside Gwanghwamun Gate facing the Gwanghwamun Square.

The Annals of Joseon Dynasty has detailed records of the appointing ceremony.

According to Gyeongguk Daejeon, or the Great Code of Administration which served as the basic legal code in the Joseon era, the commanders of the royal gate guards were appointed by the king among military officers who ranked four-pum or lower. "Pum" refers to the nine-tier government official ranking system with one-pum denoting the highest ranking official. 

During Sunday’s ceremony, which will be open to the public for free, Lieutenant Ryu Si-kyung of the Jongno Police Station will be appointed as an honorary commander of gate guards.

The CHA and the CHF will also hold various cultural activities for people to try alongside the ceremony, including archery and martial arts competitions that were traditionally held when selecting the royal gate guards.