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Provinces of Korea

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The Korean province, or Do (도 ; 道), is the primary political division of Korea since the Yi Dynasty.

Naming

The name and concept of Do originated from the Chinese Dao.

Many divided provinces were suffixed "North" (북 Buk) or "South" (남 Nam). And in re-division of already divided provinces, they were given entirely new names.

Equivalence

There are also special cities with equivalent status to provinces. The spelling for the southern provinces uses the new romanisation standard preferred by that country.

The equivalent of a do in China and Japan is a circuit.

North Korean Provinces since 1945

Listed below are the modern provinces of North Korea, with the following information:

South Korean Provinces since 1945

Listed below are the modern provinces of South Korea, with the following information:

  • North Chungcheong (Chungcheongbuk-do; 충청 북도; 忠清北道)
  • South Chungcheong (Chungcheongnam-do; 충청 남도; 忠清南道)
  • Gangweon (Gangweon-do; 강원도; 江原道) (southern half)
  • Gyeonggi (Gyeonggi-do; 경기도; 京畿道)
  • North Gyeongsang (Gyeongsangbuk-do; 경상 북도; 慶尚北道)
  • South Gyeongsang (Gyeongsangnam-do; 경상 남도; 慶尚南道)
  • Jeju (Jeju-do; 제주도; 濟州道) (an offshore island; separated from South Jeolla in 1946)
  • North Jeolla (Jeollabuk-do; 전라 북도; 全羅北道)
  • South Jeolla (Jeollanam-do; 전라 남도; 全羅南道)

History

There had originally been eight provinces at the beginning in Joseon Dynasty, but five of which were divided in halves in 1895. The division of Korea in 1945 were not based on the boundary of the provinces, so the provinces at the 38th parallel were divided among North Korea and South Korea. In 1982, North Korea again divided three of its provinces into halves.

Administrative Divisions in Unified Shilla

Administrative Divisions in Goryeo

The Eight Provinces of Yi Dynasty Joseon

During Yi Dynasty Joseon, Korea was divided into eight provinces (Paldo (팔도; 八道)). The boundaries reflected geographic and cultural divisions and corresponded closely to the boundaries between dialects. Because of the natural fit between the provincial boundaries and the "real world," most of the provincial boundaries and names survive in one form or another down to today. Most of the traditional provinces also had alternative regional "nicknames" which are still used today (especially Honam, Yeongdong, and Yeongnam). Below is a table listing the eight provinces, their dialects, regional names, and the modern administrative divisions that replaced them.

ProvinceHangeulHanjaRegional NameDialectModern divisions
Chungcheong충청도忠靑道HoseoChungcheongDaejeon, North, South Chungcheong
Gangweon강원도江原道Gwandong,
Yeongseo, Yeongdong
(See note 1 below)		SeoulKangwŏn (North Korea), Gangweon (South Korea)
Gyeonggi경기도京畿道Sudogweon
(See note 2 below)		SeoulSeoul, Incheon, Gaeseong, Gyeonggi
Gyeongsang경상도慶尙道YeongnamGyeongsangBusan, Daegu, Ulsan, North, South Gyeongsang
Hamgyeong함경도咸鏡道Gwanbuk (North half), Gwannam (South half)HamgyeongCh'ŏngjin (Cheongjin), Rajin (Najin)-Sŏbong, North, South Hamgyŏng (Hamgyeong), Yanggang
Hwanghae황해도黃海道(none)SeoulNorth, South Hwanghae
Jeolla전라도全羅道HonamJeolla, JejuGwangju, North, South Jeolla, Jeju
Pyeongan평안도平安道GwanseoPyeonganP'yŏngyang (Pyeongyang), Namp'o (Nampo), North, South P'yŏngan (Pyeongan), Jagang

Note 1

"Gwandong" was applied to the entire province, while "Yeongseo" and "Yeongdong" were names for the western and eastern parts of the province respectively. "Yeongdong" is the only one of the three names used today, and applies to Gangweon Province as a whole.

Note 2

"Sudogweon" is most likely a 20th-century name. The first two Hanja of the province's name (京畿) literally mean "capital region."

Provinces after the Gabo Reform

After the Gabo Reform of the 1890s, many of the larger provinces were split into north and south halves. Specifically, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, Hamgyeong, Jeolla, and Pyeongan Provinces were split into North and South Chungcheong, North and South Gyeongsang, North and South Hamgyeong, North and South Jeolla, and North and South Pyeongan Provinces respectively, while Jeju Island gradually evolved from being part of Jeolla Province to becoming its own province.


For other integral meanings of Do in East Asian cultures, see Do.

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