If you were leading a Confucian dynasty called the Joseon, and it was 1394, and you built a palace called Gyeongbok that housed kings and queens and princes, and hosted foreign envoys and government meetings and royal weddings, and at its peak grew to a sprawling complex of 330 buildings that comprised Korea’s power structure, you might want to consider hiring a few dudes like this to guard it.

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They mean business. 

And they play instruments…

and carry flags.

They can even pull off 14th-century Uggs paired with gold tassles and swords.

You might name the Palace’s second gate Heungnyemun, and use it to display mad design skills…

but store your blueprints somewhere safe, so when the Japanese invade  in 1592 and burn the place down, your successors have some drawings for future reference.

That way, around 1867, they can rebuild, restoring the grounds to their original awe…

 

until Japan invades again in 1910, occupies Korea until the end of WW2, and burns down all but 10 palace buildings.

But not to worry!  In 1989, your 20th-century leaders will devise a 40-year plan to rebuild all the palace structures destroyed by the Japanese…

 

and the people will wander the grounds in peace, escaping the hustle of Seoul…

and the lotus pond where King Sejo practiced archery in the 1460′s will reflect the leaves of willow trees.

Gyeongbok means “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven.” 

With the help of these guys…

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let’s hope heaven keeps a closer watch over it this time around.