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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)
  • Gangwon (Gangwon-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

(See also Eight Provinces of Korea)

Yi Dynasty

During the Yi Dynasty, Korea was divided into eight provinces--namely, Chungcheong, Gangwon (Kangwŏn), Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Hamgyŏng, Hwanghae, Jeolla, and P'yŏngan Provinces.

Early 20th century

In 1895, five of these provinces--Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, Hamgyeong, Jeolla, and Pyeongan--were divided in half, forming North and South Chungcheong, North and South Gyeongsang, North and South Hamgyeong (Hamgyŏng), North and South Jeolla, and North and South Pyeongan (P'yŏngan) Provinces. In 1946, Jeju was separated from South Jeolla and made a province.

1945-1953

In 1945, due to the Division of Korea after the end of the Japanese Colonial Period, three provinces--Hwanghae, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon--were split in half by the 38th parallel, with their north and south halves being controlled by the North and South Korean governments respectively after 1948. North and South P'y&#335ngan and Hamgyŏng Provinces fell entirely within North Korea, while North and South Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang Provinces (as well as Jeju) fell entirely within South Korea. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, the Demilitarized Zone cut through Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces, with Hwanghae falling under North Korean control.

North Korea after 1953

The North Korean portion of Gyeonggi Province eventually became today's Kaesŏng Industrial Region. The North Korean section of Kangwŏn was expanded to include part of South Hamgy&335;ng. In 1982, Hwanghae was split into North and South Hwanghae Provinces. Also in 1982, the new province of Chagang was formed from the eastern part of North P'yŏngan, while Yanggang Province was formed from parts of North and South Hamgyŏng Provinces. In addition to Kaesŏng, the cities of P'yŏngyang, Namp'o, Rasŏn (Rajin-Sŏnbong), Shinŭiju, and Ch'ŏngjin and the tourist region of Kŭmgang-san have all attained provincial-level status as self-governing cities or special administrative regions, although Ch'ŏngjin has since reverted to being part of North Hamgy&335;ng Province.

South Korea after 1953

Provinces in South Korea have not been reorganized the way they have been in the North; the main change has been the creation of Special Cities and Metropolitan Cities--cities with the same status as provinces. Today (2003), there are seven such cities: Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan.


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

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