Administrative divisions of South Korea
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| Administrative divisions of South Korea |
|---|
| Provincial level |
| Province (list) |
| Special self-governing province (Gangwon, Jeju and Jeonbuk) |
| Special city (Seoul) |
| Special metropolitan city (Jeonnam-Gwangju) |
| 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) |
| Neighborhoods and Towns |
| Town (list) |
| Township (list) |
| Neighborhood (list) |
| Villages |
| Village (list) |
| Communities |
| Ward |
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South Korea is made up of 16 first-tier administrative divisions: 5 metropolitan cities (gwangyeoksi 광역시/廣域市), 1 special city (teukbyeolsi 특별시/特別市), 1 special metropolitan city (tonghapteukbyeolsi 통합특별시/統合特別市), 1 special self-governing city (teukbyeoljachisi 특별자치시/特別自治市), and 8 provinces (do 도/道), including three special self-governing provinces (teukbyeoljachido 특별자치도/特別自治道) and five claimed by the ROK government.[1][2] These are further subdivided into a variety of smaller entities, including cities (si 시/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).[2][3][4][5]
Local government
[edit]| Level | Group name | Type | Hangeul | Hanja | RR Romaja | No. (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High-level local governments[1] 광역지방자치단체[a] 廣域地方自治團體 |
Province | 도 | 道 | do | 5 |
| Special self-governing province | 특별자치도 | 特別自治道 | teukbyeol-jachido | 3 | ||
| Special city | 특별시 | 特別市 | teukbyeolsi | 1 | ||
| Special metropolitan city | 통합특별시 | 統合特別市 | tonghap-teukbyeolsi | 1 | ||
| Metropolitan city | 광역시 | 廣域市 | gwangyeoksi | 5 | ||
| Special self-governing city | 특별자치시 | 特別自治市 | teukbyeol-jachisi | 1 | ||
| 2 | Low-level local autonomy[1] 기초지방자치단체[a] 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) | 20275 | ||
| Neighborhood (administrative) | 동 (행정동) | 洞 (行政洞) | dong (haengjeongdong) | 3618 | ||
| 5 | N/A | Urban Village | 통 | 統 | tong | |
| Rural Village | 리 | 里 | ri | |||
| 6 | N/A | Hamlet | 반 | 班 | ban |
Provincial-level divisions
[edit]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, special metropolitan cities, and special self-governing cities. The governors of the provincial-level divisions are elected every four years.[1]
| Code | Emblem | Name | Official English name[7] | Capital | Hangul | Hanja | Population 2020 Census |
Area (km2) |
Population density 2022 (per km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR-11 |  | Seoul Special City | Seoul | Jung District | 서울특별시 | 서울特別市 | 9,586,195 | 605.20 | 15,578.16 |
| N/A[b] | .svg) | Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City | Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City[8] | Suncheon, Muan County, Seo District | 전남광주통합특별시 | 全南光州統合特別市 | 3,266,380 | 12,748.24 | 3,002.38 |
| KR-26 | .svg) | Busan Metropolitan City | Busan | Yeonje District | 부산광역시 | 釜山廣域市 | 3,349,016 | 770.04 | 4,309.46 |
| KR-27 |  | Daegu Metropolitan City | Daegu | Jung District, Buk District | 대구광역시 | 大邱廣域市 | 2,410,700 | 883.49 | 2,675.25 |
| KR-28 |  | Incheon Metropolitan City | Incheon | Namdong District | 인천광역시 | 仁川廣域市 | 2,945,454 | 1,062.63 | 2,782.40 |
| KR-30 |  | Daejeon Metropolitan City | Daejeon | Seo District | 대전광역시 | 大田廣域市 | 1,488,435 | 539.85 | 2,681.14 |
| KR-31 |  | Ulsan Metropolitan City | Ulsan | Nam District | 울산광역시 | 蔚山廣域市 | 1,135,423 | 1,057.14 | 1,047.01 |
| KR-50 |  | Sejong Special Self-Governing City | Sejong Special Self-Governing City | 세종특별자치시 | 世宗特別自治市 | 346,275 | 465.23 | 824.93 | |
| KR-41 | .svg) | Gyeonggi-do | Gyeonggi Province | Suwon, Uijeongbu | 경기도 | 京畿道 | 13,511,676 | 10,184 | 1,336.10 |
| KR-42 |  | Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province | Gangwon State[9] | Chuncheon | 강원특별자치도 | 江原特別自治道 | 1,521,763 | 16,875 | 91.06 |
| KR-43 |  | Chungcheongbuk-do | North Chungcheong Province | Cheongju | 충청북도 | 忠淸北道 | 1,632,088 | 7,433 | 215.34 |
| KR-44 |  | Chungcheongnam-do | South Chungcheong Province | Hongseong County | 충청남도 | 忠淸南道 | 2,176,636 | 8,204 | 258.08 |
| KR-45 |  | Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province | Jeonbuk State[10] | Jeonju | 전북특별자치도 | 全北特別自治道 | 1,802,766 | 8,067 | 219.31 |
| KR-47 |  | Gyeongsangbuk-do | North Gyeongsang Province | Andong, Pohang | 경상북도 | 慶尙北道 | 2,644,757 | 19,030 | 136.64 |
| KR-48 |  | Gyeongsangnam-do | South Gyeongsang Province | Changwon, Jinju | 경상남도 | 慶尙南道 | 3,333,056 | 10,533 | 311.26 |
| KR-49 |  | Jeju Special Self-Governing Province | Jeju Special Self-Governing Province | Jeju City | 제주특별자치도 | 濟州特別自治道 | 670,858 | 1,849 | 366.74 |
Municipal-level divisions
[edit]
Si (city)
[edit]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). City with a population of over 1,000,000, it can be promoted to a metropolitan city if the need is recognized. (Not as specified by law but customarily, such as Seoul (1946), Busan (1963), Incheon (1981), Daegu (1981), Gwangju (1986), Daejeon (1989) Ulsan (1997)) An administrative city does not have a city council and the mayor of the city is appointed by the provincial governor. (Jeju-si, Seogwipo-si)
Gun (county)
[edit]A gun (군; 郡) is one of the subdivisions of a provincial-level division. 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). The metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon and Ulsan contain gun as well due to operating at a provincial level over local, non-urban areas.
Gu (district)
[edit]A gu (구; 區), or a district, is a possible division within cities which have more than 500,000 people. 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).
Submunicipal level divisions
[edit]Eup (town)
[edit]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.
Myeon (township)
[edit]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 eups and represent the rural areas of a county or city. Myeons are subdivided into villages (ri). The minimum population limit is 6,000.
Dong (neighborhood)
[edit]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.[11] 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.[12]
Ri (village)
[edit]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.[13]
History
[edit]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.
See also
[edit]- Administrative divisions of North Korea
- ISO 3166-2:KR, ISO codes for cities and provinces in South Korea
- List of cities in South Korea
- List of South Korean regions by GDP
- Provinces of Korea
- Special cities of South Korea
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Local Governments". Korea.net. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- 1 2 행정구역 현황. 내고장알리미 (in Korean). Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ Stevens, Andrew. "Seoul Mayor first among equals". City Mayors. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- 1 2 "Local Autonomy Act (Act No. 19241, Mar. 21, 2023)" 지방자치법 (2023. 3. 21 법률 제 19241 호). Statutes of the Republic of Korea (in Korean). Korea Legislation Research Institute. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ 대한민국 국가지도집 III [The National Atlas of Korea III] (in Korean). National Geographic Information Institute. December 2016. p. 36. ISBN 978-89-93841-21-3.
English version: The National Atlas of Korea III. National Geographic Information Institute. December 2016. p. 36. ISBN 978-89-93841-23-7. - ↑ 김용진 (1994). 지방자치단체의 종류와 관할구역. 월간법제 (12). Ministry of Government Legislation. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
- ↑ Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors For International Use: Republic of Korea (in Korean and English) (2nd ed.). Suwon: National Geographic Information Institute. December 2015. p. 41. ISBN 978-89-93841-18-3. Archived (pdf) from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ 형민우 (1 July 2026). 대한민국 1호 광역행정통합 '전남광주특별시' 출범. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ 2023년 6월 11일 강원특별자치도 출범. 동트는 강원. Gangwon State. April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2026. 또한 대외적으로 사용할 영문 표기도 주 정부의 독립성을 표방하는 미국 연방정부의 주를 나타내는 단어인 ‘State’를 차용, 강원도가 독립된 지방정부로 기능한다는 의미를 담아 강원 특별자치도의 영문 표기는 독립된 정부를 의미하는 ‘Gangwon State’로 결정했음을 밝혔다.
- ↑ 전북특별자치도 용어. Jeonbuk State (in Korean). Retrieved 7 July 2026. ‘전북특별자치도’ 영문명은 용도에 따라 두 가지 명칭을 사용하는데요. 하나는 홈페이지, 도시 브랜드 등 대외적 명칭으로 ‘Jeonbuk State’ 가 쓰이고요. 다른 하나는 도로명주소나 주민등록서류 등 법적 주소 명칭으로 ‘Jeonbuk-do’ 가 쓰인답니다.
- ↑ 통 (in Korean). Nate / Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "부산광역시 법정 동·리(洞·里) 현황 Busan city administrative units". Busan City. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ↑ 이 / 里 (in Korean). Nate / Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
External links
[edit]- "Local Government". Korean Culture and Information Service.
- "Seoul Mayor first among equals in South Korea local government". Citymajors.
- "South Korea Administrative Districts". CityPopulation.de.
- "ISO Subentity Codes for South Korea". GeoNames.
