Changuimun Gate (Buksomun)

This guide to Changuimun Gate in Seoul goes back to a night past midnight in 1623, when armed conspirators slipped through this quiet gate on the northwest edge of the old city wall to move against King Gwanghae. It follows their stop at a nearby stream to wash their swords before marching on, a detail that gave a small pavilion its name. You'll also hear about the wooden chickens carved into the gatehouse rafters, placed there for reasons that had nothing to do with kings.