Subdivisions of South Korea

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Administrative divisions of South Korea

South Korea is divided into 1 Special City (Teukbyeolsi), 6 Metropolitan Cities (Gwangyeoksi), and 9 Provinces (Do). These are further subdivided into a variety of smaller entities, including cities (Si), counties (Gun), wards (Gu), towns (Eup), districts (Myeon), neighbourhoods (Dong) and villages (Ri), as explained below.

(Note on translation: although the terms "Special City," "Metropolitan City," "Province," and "City" are commonly used on English-language government websites, the other translations ("county," "town," "ward," etc.) are not official translations, and are only intended to serve as useful illustrations of each entity's meaning.)

Contents 1 Teukbyeolsi ("Special City"; 특별시; 特別市) 2 Gwangyeoksi ("Metropolitan City"; 광역시; 廣域市) 3 Do ("Province"; 도; 道) 4 Si ("City"; 시; 市) 5 Gun ("County"; 군; 郡) 6 Gu ("Ward"; 구; 區) 7 Eup ("Town"; 읍; 邑) 8 Myeon ("District"; 면; 面) 9 Dong ("Neighbourhood"; 동; 洞) 10 Ri ("Village"; 리; 里) 11 Hierarchy 11.1 Transliteration 11.2 Translation 12 History 13 Future changes 14 See also

Teukbyeolsi ("Special City"; 특별시; 特別市)

A "Teukbyeolsi" is one of the primary divisions of the country, along with Gwangyeoksi and Do. South Korea has only one special city: Seoul. Seoul is divided into wards ("Gu").

Gwangyeoksi ("Metropolitan City"; 광역시; 廣域市)

A "Gwangyeoksi" is one of the primary divisions of the country, along with "Teukbyeolsi" and "Do." South Korea has 6 metropolitan cities: Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan. Gwangju and Daejeon are divided into wards ("Gu"); the rest are divided into both wards ("Gu") and outlying counties ("Gun").

Do ("Province"; 도; 道)

A "Do" is one of the primary divisions of the country, along with "Teukbyeolsi" and "Gwangyeoksi." South Korea has 9 provinces: North and South Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, North and South Gyeongsang, Jeju, and North and South Jeolla. Each province is subdivided into cities ("Si") and counties ("Gun").

Si ("City"; 시; 市)

A "Si" is one of the divisions of a province, along with "Gun." Cities have a population of at least 150,000; once a county ("Gun") attains that population, it becomes a city. Cities with a population of over 500,000 (namely, Suwon, Cheongju, and Jeonju) are divided into wards ("Gu"); smaller cities are divided into neighbourhoods ("Dong").

Gun ("County"; 군; 郡)

A "Gun" 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 less than 150,000 (which would make it a city or "Si"), and is less densely populated than a "Gu," and is more rural in character than either of the other 2 divisions. Counties are divided into towns ("Eup") and districts ("Myeon").

Gu ("Ward"; 구; 區)

A "Gu" is the only division of Seoul, the metropolitan cities of Gwangju and Daejeon, and the cities of Suwon, Cheongju, and Jeonju; and one of the divisions of the metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Ulsan. A "Gu" is similar to a borough in London or New York, and its government handles many of the functions that are handled by city governments in other jurisdictions. "Gu"s in Suwon, Cheongju, and Jeonju have fewer powers than those of Seoul and the metropolitan cities. "Gu"s are divided into neighbourhoods ("Dong").

Eup ("Town"; 읍; 邑)

An "Eup" is one of the divisions—along with "Myeon"—of a county ("Gun") and some cities ("Si") of less than 500,000 population. 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 ("District"; 면; 面)

A "Myeon" is one of the divisions—along with "Eup"—of a county ("Gun") and some cities ("Si") of less than 500,000 population. "Myeon"s have smaller populations than "Eup"s and represent the rural areas of a county or city. Myeons are subdivided into villages ("Ri"). The minimum population limit is 6,000.

Dong ("Neighbourhood"; 동; 洞)

A "Dong" is the only division of wards ("Gu") and cities ("Si") that are not divided into wards. The "dong" is the smallest level of urban government to have its own office and staff, and typically encompasses only a few city blocks. Some populous "dong"s are subdivided into "Ga"s (가; 可), 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"s.)

Ri ("Village"; 리; 里)

A "Ri" is the only division of towns ("Eup") and districts ("Myeon"). The "ri" is the smallest level of rural government to contain any significant number of people.

Hierarchy

History

Although the details of local administration have changed dramatically 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.

Future changes

In late April 2005, the governing Uri and leading opposition Hannara parties agreed to a sweeping change in the country's local administration. This reform, tentatively slated to take place in 2010, would replace the current three-tier system with a two-tier system. The existing provinces (do) and metropolitan cities (gwangyeoksi) would be eliminated. The current gu, si, and gun units would be reorganized into about 60 "metropolitan cities" with a population of roughly 1 million each. Beyond this, the details of the reform have not been decided. Opposition is likely from politicians and constituent groups who will be disadvantaged by the changes. (Sources: Korea Times [1], Korea Herald [2]).

See also

• ISO 3166-2:KR, ISO codes for cities and provinces in South Korea
• Administrative divisions of North Korea
• Provinces of Korea
• Special cities of Korea