"Silent Guards" a Seoul Travel Page by bpacker

Behind the Chinese-looking facade of Gyeongbokgung Palace lies a host of silent protectors.
Cracked with age, they have largely been forgotten even though they have protected the palace from countless of invasions and fires.

These creatures exist only in mythology. Perhaps, nothing is more apt than the quote from the Korean Herald :

“All follows from the haetae's vocation to root out violent change. The large nose sniffs for hidden iniquity or distant smoke. The big, luminous eyes stare alert into the middle distance, concerned not with what is but with what will be. The cavernous mouth with overshot lower jaw fastens like a bulldog on the past, not letting it go. The well-bred haetae is a thoughtful, even intuitive creature. Enemy of change, it is no fan of newborn things; it will eat a child who gets too close. It can
challenge time itself, bite the sun or moon, and create an eclipse.”

Another guard keeps a vigilant watch over the main hall of Gyeongbokgung palace.

Who would have thought that an ordinary monument would bear the marks of a practicing swordsman?
Someone's fury was carved deep in this monument as uniform slashmarks were found in front and behind the marker.

A Haetate lies flat on its belly, to ward off evil from the Kings.

A Longevity symbol lies hidden under Gwanghwamun gate, breathing fire to keep harm away