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Administrative divisions of South Korea |
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Provincial level |
Province (list) |
Special self-governing province (Jeju) |
Special city (Seoul) |
Metropolitan city (list) |
Special self-governing city (Sejong) |
Municipal level |
Specific city (list) |
City (list) |
County (list) |
Autonomous District (list) |
Submunicipal level |
Administrative city (list) |
Non-autonomous District (list) |
Town (list) |
Township (list) |
Neighborhood (list) |
Village (list) |
Ward |
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South Korea is made up of 17 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 metropolitan cities (gwangyeoksi광역시/廣域市), 1 special city (teukbyeolsi특별시/特別市), 1 special self-governing city (teukbyeol-jachisi특별자치시/特別自治市), and 9 provinces ( do 도/道), including one special self-governing province (teukbyeol jachido특별자치도/特別自治道). [1] [2] These are further subdivided into a variety of smaller entities, including cities (si시/市), counties ( gun 군/郡), districts ( gu 구/區), towns ( eup 읍/邑), townships ( myeon 면/面), neighborhoods ( dong 동/洞) and villages ( ri 리/里). [3]
Official Revised Romanization of Korean spellings are used
Level | Group name | Type | Hangul | Hanja | RR Romaja | No. (2014) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Upper-level local autonomy [4] 광역지방자치단체 廣域地方自治團體 | Province | 도 | 道 | do | 8 |
Special self-governing province | 특별자치도 | 特別自治道 | teukbyeol-jachido | 1 | ||
Special city | 특별시 | 特別市 | teukbyeolsi | 1 | ||
Special self-governing city | 특별자치시 | 特別自治市 | teukbyeol-jachisi | 1 | ||
Metropolitan city | 광역시 | 廣域市 | gwangyeoksi | 6 | ||
2 | Lower-level local autonomy [4] 기초지방자치단체(Municipality) 基礎地方自治團體 | City | 시 | 市 | si | 60 |
City (specific) | 시 (특정시) | 市 (特定市) | si (teukjeongsi) | 15 | ||
County | 군 | 郡 | gun | 82 | ||
District (autonomous) | 구 (자치구) | 區 (自治區) | gu (jachigu) | 69 | ||
3 | N/A | City (administrative) | 시 (행정시) | 市 (行政市) | si (haengjeongsi) | 2 |
District (non-autonomous) | 구 (일반구) | 區 (一般區) | gu (ilbangu) | 35 | ||
4 | N/A | Town | 읍 | 邑 | eup | 216 |
Township | 면 | 面 | myeon | 1198 | ||
Neighborhood (legal-status) | 동 (법정동) | 洞 (法定洞) | dong (beopjeongdong) | 2073 | ||
Neighborhood (administrative) | 동 (행정동) | 洞 (行政洞) | dong (haengjeongdong) | |||
5 | N/A | Urban Village | 통 | 統 | tong | |
Rural Village | 리 | 里 | ri | |||
6 | N/A | Hamlet | 반 | 班 | ban |
The top tier of administrative divisions are the provincial-level divisions, of which there are several types: provinces (including special self-governing provinces), metropolitan cities, special cities, and special self-governing cities. The governors of the provincial-level divisions are elected every four years. [2]
Map | Code | Emblem | Name | Official English name [5] | Hangul | Hanja | Population 2020 Census | Area (km2) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KR-11 | ![]() | Seoul special city | Seoul | 서울특별시 | 서울特別市 | 9,586,195 | 605.20 | |
KR-26 | ![]() | Busan metropolitan city | Busan | 부산광역시 | 釜山廣域市 | 3,349,016 | 770.04 | |
KR-27 | ![]() | Daegu metropolitan city | Daegu | 대구광역시 | 大邱廣域市 | 2,410,700 | 883.49 | |
KR-28 | ![]() | Incheon metropolitan city | Incheon | 인천광역시 | 仁川廣域市 | 2,945,454 | 1,062.63 | |
KR-29 | ![]() | Gwangju metropolitan city | Gwangju | 광주광역시 | 光州廣域市 | 1,477,573 | 501.24 | |
KR-30 | ![]() | Daejeon metropolitan city | Daejeon | 대전광역시 | 大田廣域市 | 1,488,435 | 539.85 | |
KR-31 | ![]() | Ulsan metropolitan city | Ulsan | 울산광역시 | 蔚山廣域市 | 1,135,423 | 1,057.14 | |
KR-50 | ![]() | Sejong special self-governing city | Sejong Special Self-Governing City | 세종특별자치시 | 世宗特別自治市 | 346,275 | 465.23 | |
KR-41 | ![]() | Gyeonggi Province | Gyeonggi-do | 경기도 | 京畿道 | 13,511,676 | 10,184 | |
KR-42 | ![]() | Gangwon Province | Gangwon-do | 강원도 | 江原道 | 1,521,763 | 16,875 | |
KR-43 | ![]() | North Chungcheong Province | Chungcheongbuk-do | 충청북도 | 忠淸北道 | 1,632,088 | 7,433 | |
KR-44 | ![]() | South Chungcheong Province | Chungcheongnam-do | 충청남도 | 忠淸南道 | 2,176,636 | 8,204 | |
KR-45 | ![]() | North Jeolla Province | Jeollabuk-do | 전라북도 | 全羅北道 | 1,802,766 | 8,067 | |
KR-46 | ![]() | South Jeolla Province | Jeollanam-do | 전라남도 | 全羅南道 | 1,788,807 | 12,247 | |
KR-47 | ![]() | North Gyeongsang Province | Gyeongsangbuk-do | 경상북도 | 慶尙北道 | 2,644,757 | 19,030 | |
KR-48 | ![]() | South Gyeongsang Province | Gyeongsangnam-do | 경상남도 | 慶尙南道 | 3,333,056 | 10,533 | |
KR-49 | ![]() | Jeju special self-governing province | Jeju Special Self-Governing Province | 제주특별자치도 | 濟州特別自治道 | 670,858 | 1,849 |
A si (시; 市, pronounced [ɕi] ) is one of the divisions of a province, along with gun. A city must have a neighborhood(dong) and can have towns(eup), townships(myeon) if the city is combined with urban and rural areas. Once an eup of a county (gun) attains a population of 50,000, the county can become a city. A city with a population of over 500,000 (such as Suwon, Cheongju, Cheonan and Jeonju) is considered as a specific city, which can set non-autonomous districts(gu). An administrative city doesn't have a city council and the mayor of the city is appointed by the provincial governor.
A gun (군; 郡) is one of the divisions of a province (along with si), and of the metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon and Ulsan (along with gu). A gun has a population of less than 150,000 (more than that would make it a city or si), is less densely populated than a gu, and is more rural in character than either of the other 2 divisions. Gun are comparable to British non-metropolitan districts. Counties are divided into towns (eup) and townships (myeon). Specially, the size of a "gun" is less than a US "county".
A gu (구; 區) is equivalent to district in the West. The metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon and Ulsan contain gun as well. Gu are similar to boroughs in some Western countries, and a gu office handles many of the functions that would be handled by the city in other jurisdictions. Gu are divided into neighborhoods (dong).
An eup (읍; 邑) is similar to the unit of town. Along with myeon, an eup is one of the divisions of a county (gun), and of some cities (si) with a population of less than 500,000. The main town or towns in a county—or the secondary town or towns within a city's territory—are designated as eup. Towns are subdivided into villages (ri). In order to form an eup, the minimum population required is 20,000.
A myeon (면; 面) is one of the divisions – along with eup – of a county (gun) and some cities (si) of fewer than 500,000 population. Myeons have smaller populations than eup and represent the rural areas of a county or city. Myeon are subdivided into villages (ri). The minimum population limit is 6,000.
A dong (동; 洞) is the primary division of districts (gu), and of those cities (si) which are not divided into districts. The dong is the smallest level of urban government to have its own office and staff. In some cases, a single legal dong is divided into several administrative dong. Administrative dong are usually distinguished from one another by number (as in the case of Myeongjang 1-dong and Myeongjang 2-dong). In such cases, each administrative dong has its own office and staff.
The primary division of a dong is the tong (통; 統), but divisions at this level and below are seldom used in daily life. [6] Some populous dong are subdivided into ga (가; 街), which are not a separate level of government, but only exist for use in addresses. Many major thoroughfares in Seoul, Suwon, and other cities are also subdivided into ga. [7]
A ri (리; 里) is the only division of towns (eup) and townships (myeon). The ri is the smallest level of rural government to contain any significant number of people. [8]
Although the details of local administration have changed over time, the basic outline of the current three-tiered system was implemented under the reign of Gojong in 1895. A similar system also remains in use in North Korea.
Pohang is a city in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea, and a main seaport in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. The built-up area of Pohang is located on the alluvium of the mouth of the Hyeongsan River. The city is divided into two wards (gu), Buk-gu or Northern Ward and Nam-gu or Southern Ward.
Yeongju is a city in the far north region of North Gyeongsang province in South Korea, covering 668.84 km2 with a population of 113,930 people according to the 2008 census. The city borders Bonghwa county to the east, Danyang county of North Chungcheong province to the west, Andong city and Yecheon county to the south, and Yeongwol county of Gangwon province to the north.
The administrative divisions of North Korea are organized into three hierarchical levels. These divisions were created in 2002. Many of the units have equivalents in the system of South Korea. At the highest level are nine provinces and four special municipalities. The second-level divisions are cities, counties, and districts. These are further subdivided into third-level entities: towns, dongs (neighborhoods), ris (villages), and workers’ districts.
Namyangju is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri City, and to the north is Pocheon City. Namyangju-si was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun in April 1980. In 1995, Migeum-si and Namyangju-gun were merged to form an urban and rural complex. The city hall is located in Geumgok-dong and Dasan-dong, and the administrative districts are 6-eup, 3-myeon, and 7-dong.
Pocheon (Korean pronunciation: [pʰo.tsʰʌn]) is an inland city in the far northeastern region of Gyeonggi province in South Korea. It covers 826.48 km (513.55 mi)2 with a population of 160,176 people, according to the 2008 census. Pocheon lies between Seoul and the mountainous northwestern areas of Gangwon province. The city borders Yeoncheon county, with the cities of Dongducheon and Yangju to the west, along with Uijeongbu, and Namyangju of Gyeonggi province to the south. It also borders Hwacheon county of Gangwon province on its eastern border and Cheorwon is to the north. Alongside the adjoining Gapyeong, Pocheon consists of the highest mountainous areas in Gyeonggi province. The current city of Pocheon was created after Pocheon-hyeon and Yeongpyeong counties were merged. The north part of the city used to be part of Yeongpyeong county while the south used to be part of Pocheon-hyeon.
Uljin County is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Before 1963, Uljin was in Gangwon Province.
Geochang County is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The Geochang International Festival of Theater, which was started in 1989, is renowned as the best play festival in Korea. The District Office is located in Geochang-eup, and has jurisdiction over 1 eup and 11 myeon.
Seongdong District (Seongdong-gu) is one of the 25 gu which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River. It is divided into 20 dong (neighbourhoods).
Seongbuk District (Seongbuk-gu) is one of the 25 gu which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current Mayor is Kim Young-bae (김영배), who has been mayor since July 1, 2010. Seongbuk-gu was established under Presidential Decree No. 159 on August 13, 1949, and was promoted to a autonomous district by implementing a Gu-level local government on May 1, 1988.
Deogyang-gu is a ward in Goyang, South Korea.
Jugyo-dong is a legal dong, or neighbourhood of the Jung-gu district in Seoul, South Korea. It is governed by its administrative dong, Euljiro 3, 4, 5ga-dong.
An eup or ŭp (Korean: 읍) is an administrative unit in both North Korea and South Korea similar to the unit of town.
Bongdam is a town in the city of Hwaseong in South Korea. Covering over 4000 hectares, the town is the focus of a planned community, primarily as a commuter town for the bordering city of Suwon.
"Hwanghae Province" or "Hwanghae-do" is, according to South Korean law, a province of the Republic of Korea, as the South Korean government formally claims to be the legitimate government of whole of Korea. The area constituting the province is under the de facto jurisdiction of North Korea.
"South Pyeongan Province" or "Pyeongannam-do" is, according to South Korean law, a province of the Republic of Korea, as the South Korean government formally claims to be the legitimate government of the whole of Korea. The area constituting the province is under the de facto jurisdiction of North Korea.
"North Hamgyeong Province" or "Hamgyeongbuk-do" is, according to South Korean law, a province of the Republic of Korea, as the South Korean government formally claims to be the legitimate government of whole of Korea. The area constituting the province is under the de facto jurisdiction of North Korea.
"South Hamgyeong Province" is, according to South Korean law, a province of the Republic of Korea, as the South Korean government formally claims to be the legitimate government of the whole of Korea. The area constituting the province is under the de facto jurisdiction of North Korea and China.
A gun is an administrative unit in both North Korea and South Korea similar to the unit of county.
Seo-myeon, also called Seo Township, is a myeon (township) in Suncheon, a city in the South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Name of the township means West Township, but it is located in the eastern part, not western part, of the city with a total area of 103.54 square kilometres (39.98 sq mi). The population was recorded to be 12346 people, 6141 males and 6205 females, and the number of houses totaled 4979. The township office is located in 94, Imchondong-gil in Dongsan-ri. There are Bonggang-myeon, Gwangyang in the east of the township, Seungju-eup in the west; Samsan-dong and Wangjo-dong in the south; Woldeung-myeon in the north-west; and Hwangjeon-myeon in the north.