South Korea in Korean and other languages: exonyms, Seoul, provinces
South Korea is 한국 (Hanguk) in Korean, officially 대한민국 (Daehan Minguk), the Republic of Korea, and ISO 3166-1 codes it KR, KOR and 410. Its name follows in 181 languages, Seoul in 83, then the 17 provinces and cities of ISO 3166-2:KR in Hangul and Hanja and the text of the anthem.
Official languagesKorean (hangugeo)
Checked
- alpha-2
- KR
- alpha-3
- KOR
- numeric
- 410
대한민국 (大韓民國)Daehan Minguk
- English
- South KoreaRepublic of Korea
- Capital
- 서울Seoul
ISO 3166-1, checked 28 October 2026. Flag after the Wikimedia Commons drawing.
South Korea in other languages: list of exonyms
| Languages | ISO 639 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | eng | South Korea | same as written |
| Catalan, Interlingua, Italian | cat / ina / ita | Corea del Sud | same as written |
| Croatian, Upper Sorbian, Slovenian | hrv / hsb / slv | Južna Koreja | same as written |
| Asturian, Spanish | ast / spa | Corea del Sur | same as written |
| Danish, Swedish | dan / swe | Sydkorea | same as written |
| German, Luxembourgish | deu / ltz | Südkorea | same as written |
| Finnish, Kven | fin / fkv | Etelä-Korea | same as written |
| French, Jersey Norman French | fra / jnf | Corée du Sud | same as written |
| Kinyarwanda, Rundi | kin / run | Koreya y’ubumanuko | same as written |
| Afrikaans | afr | Suid-Korea | same as written |
| Aragonese | arg | Corea d’o Sud | same as written |
| Azerbaijani | aze | Cənubi Koreya / Ҹәнуби Кореја | Cənubi Koreya |
| Bambara | bam | Kɔre Woroduguyanfan | same as written |
| Bosnian | bos | Južna Koreja / Јужна Кореја / يۆژنا قۉرەيا | Južna Koreja |
| Breton | bre | Korea ar Su, Sukorea | same as written |
| Czech | ces | Jižní Korea | same as written |
| Cornish | cor | Korea Dhehow | same as written |
| Corsican | cos | Corea suttana | same as written |
| Crimean Tatar | crh | Cenübiy Koreya / Дженюбий Корея | Cenübiy Koreya |
| Kashubian | csb | Półniowò Kòreja | same as written |
| Welsh | cym | De Corea | same as written |
| Lower Sorbian | dsb | Pódpołdnjowa Koreja | same as written |
| Esperanto | epo | Sud-Koreo, Sud-Koreio | same as written |
| Estonian | est | Lõuna-Korea | same as written |
| Basque | eus | Hego Korea | same as written |
| Faroese | fao | Suður-Korea | same as written |
| Franco-Provençal | frp | Corê du Sud | same as written |
| West Frisian | fry | Súd-Korea | same as written |
| Friulian | fur | Coree dal Sud | same as written |
| Gagauz | gag | Üülen Koreya / Ӱӱлен Корея | Üülen Koreya |
| Scottish Gaelic | gla | Coirea a Deas, Coiria a Deas, Corea a Deas | same as written |
| Irish | gle | An Chóiré Theas / An Ċóiré Ṫeas, An Choria Theas / An Ċoria Ṫeas | same as written |
| Galician | glg | Corea do Sur | same as written |
| Manx | glv | Yn Chorea Yiass | same as written |
| Guarani | grn | Yvykorea | same as written |
| Haitian Creole | hat | Kore disid | same as written |
| Hausa | hau | Koreya ta Kudu | same as written |
| Hungarian | hun | Dél-Korea | same as written |
| Igbo | ibo | Kọria Ndida | same as written |
| Indonesian | ind | Korea Selatan | same as written |
| Icelandic | isl | Suður-Kórea | same as written |
| Javanese | jav | Koréa Kidul | same as written |
| Karakalpak | kaa | Tuʻslik Koreya / Түслик Корея | Tuʻslik Koreya |
| Kurmanji Kurdish | kur | Koreya Başûr | same as written |
| Latin | lat | Corea Meridionalis, Corea Meridiana | same as written |
| Latvian | lav | Dienvidkoreja | same as written |
| Limburgish | lim | Zuud-Korea | same as written |
| Lingala | lin | Kore ya Sidi | same as written |
| Lithuanian | lit | Pietų Korėja | same as written |
| Ladin (Val Badia) | lld-bad | Corea dl Süd | same as written |
| Ladin (Gherdëina) | lld-grd | Corea dl Sud | same as written |
| Malagasy | mlg | Kôrea Atsimo | same as written |
| Maltese | mlt | Korea t’Isfel | same as written |
| Moldovan | mol | Coreea de Sud / Корея де Суд | Coreea de Sud |
| Malay | msa | Korea Selatan / كوريا سلاتن | Korea Selatan |
| Nahuatl | nah | Koria Uitstlan | same as written |
| Low German | nds | Süüdkorea | same as written |
| Dutch | nld | Zuid-Korea | same as written |
| Norwegian | nor | Sør-Korea | same as written |
| Novial | nov | Sud Korea | same as written |
| Norman French | nrm | Coraée-du-Su | same as written |
| Occitan | oci | Corèa del Sud | same as written |
| Papiamento | pap | Sur-Korea | same as written |
| Polish | pol | Korea Południowa | same as written |
| Portuguese | por | Coreia do Sul / Coréia do Sul | same as written |
| Quechua | que | Uralan Kuriya | same as written |
| Kalderash Romani | rmy | Sudutni Koreya / सुदुत्नी कोरेया | Sudutni Koreya |
| Romansh | roh | Corea dal Sid | same as written |
| Romanian | ron | Coreea de Sud | same as written |
| Aromanian | rup | Corea di Not | same as written |
| Sicilian | scn | Corea dû Sud | same as written |
| Slovak | slk | Južná Kórea | same as written |
| Slovio | slo | Jugju Korea / Йугйу Кореа | Jugju Korea |
| Northern Sami | sme | Mátta-Korea | same as written |
| Samogitian | smg | Pėitū Kuoriejė | same as written |
| Samoan | smo | Malo Korea | same as written |
| Somali | som | Koonfur Kuuriya | same as written |
| Albanian | sqi | Korea Jugore | same as written |
| Sardinian | srd | Corea de Josso | same as written |
| Saterland Frisian | stq | Suud-Korea | same as written |
| Swahili | swa | Korea ya Kusini | same as written |
| Silesian | szl | Korea Pouedńowo | same as written |
| Tetum | tet | Koreia Súl | same as written |
| Tagalog | tgl | Timog Korea | same as written |
| Tongan | ton | Saute Kōlea | same as written |
| Tok Pisin | tpi | Saut Korea | same as written |
| Turkmen | tuk | Günorta Koreýa / Гүнорта Корея | Günorta Koreýa |
| Turkish | tur | Güney Kore | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Janubiy Koreya / Жанубий Корея / جەنۇبىي كارېيە | Janubiy Koreya |
| Vietnamese | vie | Nam Hàn, Hàn Quốc | same as written |
| Volapük | vol | Sulüda-Koreyän, Hangukän | same as written |
| Võro | vor | Lõunõ-Korea | same as written |
| Walloon | wln | Nonne Corêye | same as written |
| Wolof | wol | Kore gu Bëj-saalum, Koore bu Sid | same as written |
| Zazaki | zza | Korya Veroci | same as written |
| Abaza, Bulgarian, Rusyn | abq / bul / rue | Южна Корея | Južna Koreja |
| Abkhaz | abk | Аладатәи Кореа | Aladatwi Korea |
| Altai | alt | Тӱштӱк Корея | Tüštük Koreja |
| Avar | ava | Жанубияб Корея | Žanubijab Koreja |
| Bashkir | bak | Көньяҡ Корея / Könyaķ Koreya | Könyaķ Koreya |
| Belarusian | bel | Паўднёвая Карэя / Paŭdniovaja Kareja | Paŭdniovaja Kareja |
| Chechen | che | Къилбера Корей / Q̇ilbera Korey | Q̇ilbera Korey |
| Chuvash | chv | Кӑнтӑр Корейӑ | Kăntăr Korejă |
| Kazakh | kaz | Оңтүстік Корея / وڭتۇستىك كورەيا / Oñtüstik Koreya | Oñtüstik Koreya |
| Kabardian | kbd | Ипшъэ Корей | Ipṣ̌ă Korej |
| Kyrgyz | kir | Түштүк Корея / تۉشتۉك كورەيا / Tüştük Koreya | Tüştük Koreya |
| Khakas | kjh | Южнай Корея | Južnaj Koreja |
| Kurdish (Caucasus, Cyrillic) | kmr | Корейа Щәнубе / Korêya Cenûbê | Korêya Cenûbê |
| Komi | kom | Лунвыв Корея | Lunvyv Koreja |
| Karachay-Balkar | krc | Къыбыла Корея | Qybyla Koreja |
| Kumyk | kum | Къыбла Корея | Qybla Koreja |
| Lezgi | lez | Кьиблепатан Корея | Q̇iblepatan Koreja |
| Meadow Mari | mhr | Кечывалвел Корей | Kečyvalvel Korej |
| Macedonian | mkd | Јужна Кореја | Južna Koreja |
| Mongolian | mon | Өмнөд Солонгос | Ömnöd Solongos |
| Ossetian | oss | Хуссар Корей | Ȟussar Korej |
| Russian | rus | Южная Корея | Južnaja Koreja |
| Yakut | sah | Соҕуруу Кэриэйэ | Soġuruu Käriäjä |
| Serbian | srp | Јужна Кореја / Južna Koreja | Južna Koreja |
| Tatar | tat | Көньяк Корея / Könyaq Koreyä / كۆنياق كورېيە | Könyaq Koreyä |
| Tajik | tgk | Қурияи Ҷанубӣ / قوریهٔ جنوبی / Qurijaji Çanubī, Кореяи Ҷанубӣ / کاریهٔ جنوبی / Korejaji Çanubī | Qurijaji Çanubī, Korejaji Çanubī |
| Tuvan | tyv | Мурнуу-Көрей | Murnuu-Körej |
| Udmurt | udm | Лымшор Корея | Lymšor Koreja |
| Ukrainian | ukr | Південна Корея | Pivdenna Koreja |
| Kalmyk | xal | Өмн үзгин Корея | Ömn üzgin Koreja |
| Arabic | ara | كوريا الجنوبية | Kūrīyā l-Ǧanūbīyâ |
| South Azerbaijani | azb | جنوبی کورئیا / Cənubi Koreya | Cənubi Koreya |
| Sorani Kurdish | ckb | کۆریای باشوور / Koryay Başûr | Koryay Başûr |
| Persian | fas | کرهٔ جنوبی / Koreye Janubi | Koreye Janubi |
| Western Punjabi | pnb | دکھنی کوریا | Dakʰanī Kōriyā |
| Dari | prs | کوریای جنوبی | Kōriyā-ye Janūbī |
| Pashto | pus | سهيلي کوريا | Sahīlī Kōriyā |
| Sindhi | snd | ڏکڻ ڪوريا | Ḋakʰaṇu Kōriyā |
| Uyghur | uig | جەنۇبىي چاۋشيەن / Jenubiy Chawshyen / Җәнубий Чавшйән, جەنۇبىي چاۋشەن / Jenubiy Chawshen / Җәнубий Чавшән | Jenubiy Chawshyen, Jenubiy Chawshen |
| Urdu | urd | جنوبی کوریا | Janūbī Kōriyā |
| Dhivehi | div | ދެކުނު ކޮރެއާ | Dekunu Koreā |
| Hebrew | heb | דרום קוראה, דרום קוריאה, קוראה הדרומית, קוריאה הדרומית | Dərōm Qōreʾah, Dərōm Qōrēʾah, Qōreʾah ha-Dərōmīt, Qōrēʾah ha-Dərōmīt |
| Ladino | lad | קוריאה דיל סוד / Korea del Sud | Korea del Sud |
| Yiddish | yid | דרום קאָרעע | Dorem Koree |
| Berber (Tifinagh) | ber | ⴽⵓⵔⵢⴰ ⵏ ⵓⵏⵥⵓⵍ / Kurya n Unẓul | Kurya n Unẓul |
| Kabyle | kab | ⴽⵓⵔⵢⴰ ⵏ ⵓⵏⵥⵓⵍ / Kurya n Unẓul | Kurya n Unẓul |
| Amharic | amh | ደቡብ ኮርያ | Däbub Korya |
| Greek (Demotic) | ell-dhi | Νότια Κορέα | Nótia Koréa |
| Greek (Katharevousa) | ell-kat | Νότιος Κορέα | Nótios Koréa |
| Armenian | hye | Հարավային Կորեա | Haravayin Korea |
| Georgian | kat | სამხრეთი კორეა | Samȟreṭi Korea |
| Laz | lzz | ომჟორე კორეა / Omjore K’orea | Omjore K’orea |
| Mingrelian | xmf | ობჟათე კორეა | Obžaṭe Korea |
| Hindi | hin | दक्षिण कोरिया | Dakṣiṇ Koriyā |
| Bengali | ben | দক্ষিণ কোরিয়া | Dôkṣiṇ Koriyā |
| Gujarati | guj | દક્ષિણ કોરિયા | Dakṣiṇ Koriyā |
| Oriya | ori | ଦକ୍ଷିଣ କୋରିଆ | Dôkṣiṇ Koriā |
| Punjabi | pan | ਦੱਖਣੀ ਕੋਰੀਆ | Dakʰkʰaṇī Korīā |
| Sinhala | sin | දකුණු කොරියාව | Dakuṇu Koriyāva |
| Kannada | kan | ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಕೊರಿಯಾ | Dakṣiṇa Koriyā |
| Malayalam | mal | ദക്ഷിണ കൊറിയ | Dakṣiṇa Koṟiya |
| Tamil | tam | தென் கொரியா, தென்கொரியா | Teṉ Koriyā, Teṉkoriyā |
| Telugu | tel | దక్షిణ కొరియా | Dakṣiṇa Koriyā |
| Chinese | zho | 南韓/南韩, 韓國/韩国 | Nánhán, Hánguó |
| Cantonese | yue | 南韓/南韩, 韓國/韩国 | Nàahmhòhn, Hòhngwok |
| Japanese | jpn | 韓国 | Kankoku |
| Korean | kor | 한국/韓國, 남한/南韓 | Hanguk, Namhan |
| Tibetan | bod | ལྷོ་ཁྲའོ་ཤན།, ལྷོ་ཀོ་རི་ཡ། | Lō. Kʰra'o.šan, Lō. Ko.ri.ya |
| Dzongkha | dzo | ལྷོ་ཀོ་རི་ཡ། | Lō. Ko.ri.ya |
| Burmese | mya | တောင်ကိုရီးယား | Toũ Koẏìyà |
| Thai | tha | เกาหลีใต้ | Kaw[h]lī Tái |
| Lao | lao | ເກົາຫຼີໄຕ້ | Kaw[h]ḷī Tái |
| Khmer | khm | កូរ៉េខាងត្បូង | Kūre Kʰāṅtbūṅ |
| Cherokee | chr | ᏅᎦᎾᏭ ᎢᏗᏢ ᎪᎴᏯ / Nvganawu Iditlv Goleya, ᏅᎦᎾᏭ ᎢᏗᏢ ᎪᎴᎠ / Nvganawu Iditlv Golea | Nvganawu Iditlv Goleya, Nvganawu Iditlv Golea |
Chinese, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese list two names: one built on south, one on the old state name Han. Tibetan, Uzbek, Kazakh and several other languages give the name in more than one script.
Hanguk, Namhan and the south of Korea
The names in the table follow two patterns. Most languages translate the English compound, a word for south beside Korea: Südkorea, Corée du Sud, Южная Корея (Južnaja Koreja), كوريا الجنوبية (Kūrīyā l-Ǧanūbīyâ). Armenian has Հարավային Կորեա, Haravayin Korea, Quechua Uralan Kuriya and Tagalog Timog Korea. The word order shifts with the grammar of each language, so Hebrew lists both דרום קוריאה and קוריאה הדרומית.
East Asia uses a second pattern. Korean itself says 한국 (韓國, Hanguk), after the Han of the official name 대한민국, and 남한 (Namhan), south Han, as the counterpart of 북한 for the North. Japanese 韓国 (Kankoku) and the Chinese 韓國 (Hánguó) read the same characters, while Chinese 南韓 and Vietnamese Nam Hàn copy the south-Han form. Volapük keeps both ideas side by side: Sulüda-Koreyän and Hangukän.
Seoul is a native Korean word with no Hanja spelling. Most languages copy the sound, from Séoul and Seúl to Сеул and سيول. Chinese, Japanese and Korean also list the older name 漢城, in Chinese Hànchéng, and Japanese adds ケイジョー, Keijō.
Seoul in other languages
| Languages | ISO 639 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | eng | Seoul | same as written |
| Basque, Croatian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian, Silesian, Turkish, Zazaki | eus / hrv / pol / por / ron / slv / szl / tur / zza | Seul | same as written |
| Aragonese, Asturian, Icelandic, Spanish, Tetum | arg / ast / isl / spa / tet | Seúl | same as written |
| Czech, Finnish, Slovak | ces / fin / slk | Soul | same as written |
| Azerbaijani, Turkmen | aze / tuk | Seul / Сеул | Seul |
| Luxembourgish, Low German | ltz / nds | Seoul | same as written |
| Swedish, Volapük | swe / vol | Söul | same as written |
| Bosnian | bos | Seul / Сеул / سەۆل | Seul |
| Catalan | cat | Seül | same as written |
| German | deu | Söul, Seoul | same as written |
| Esperanto | epo | Seulo | same as written |
| French | fra | Séoul | same as written |
| Irish | gle | Súl | same as written |
| Hungarian | hun | Szöul | same as written |
| Kurmanji Kurdish | kur | Sêwol, Seûl | same as written |
| Latin | lat | Seulum | same as written |
| Latvian | lav | Seula | same as written |
| Lithuanian | lit | Seulas | same as written |
| Moldovan | mol | Seul / Сеул | Seul |
| Malay | msa | Seoul / سيول | Seoul |
| Dutch | nld | Seoel, Seoul | same as written |
| Samogitian | smg | Seuls | same as written |
| Tagalog | tgl | Seyul, Seul | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Seul / Сеул / سېئۇل | Seul |
| Vietnamese | vie | Xơ-un | same as written |
| Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian | bul / rus / ukr | Сеул | Seul |
| Bashkir, Serbian | bak / srp | Сеул / Seul | Seul |
| Belarusian | bel | Сеул / Sieuł, Сэул / Seuł | Sieuł, Seuł |
| Kazakh | kaz | Сеул / سەۋل / Sewl | Sewl |
| Kyrgyz | kir | Сеул / سەۇل / Seul | Seul |
| Mongolian | mon | Сөүл, Сөул | Söül, Söul |
| Tatar | tat | Сеул / Seul / سېئۇل | Seul |
| Tajik | tgk | Сеул / سیئول / Seul | Seul |
| Arabic | ara | سيئول, سيول | Sīʾūl, Siyūl |
| South Azerbaijani | azb | سئول / Seul | Seul |
| Persian | fas | سئول / Seul | Seul |
| Western Punjabi | pnb | سیول | Siyūl |
| Pashto | pus | سېول | Sewl |
| Sindhi | snd | سيول | Siyūlu |
| Uyghur | uig | سېئۇل / Séul / Сеул | Séul |
| Urdu | urd | سیول, سیئول | Siyūl, Sīʾul |
| Hebrew | heb | סאול, סיאול | Seʾūl, Sēʾūl |
| Yiddish | yid | סעאָל | Seol |
| Amharic | amh | ሶል, ሴኡል | Sol, Se'ul |
| Greek | ell | Σεούλ | Seoýl |
| Armenian | hye | Սեուլ | Seoul |
| Georgian | kat | სეული | Seuli |
| Hindi | hin | सिऊल, सियूल, सियोल | Siūl, Siyūl, Siyol |
| Marathi | mar | सोल | Sol |
| Nepali | nep | सिउल | Siul |
| Bengali | ben | সিওল, সিউল | Siol, Siul |
| Gujarati | guj | સેઉલ | Seul |
| Punjabi | pan | ਸਿਓਲ | Siol |
| Kannada | kan | ಸಿಯೊಲ್, ಸೋಲ್ | Siyol, Sōl |
| Malayalam | mal | സോൾ | Sōḷ |
| Tamil | tam | சியோல் | Ciyōl |
| Telugu | tel | సియౌల్ | Siyaul |
| Chinese | zho | 首爾/首尔, 漢城/汉城 | Shǒu'ěr, Hànchéng |
| Japanese | jpn | ソウル, 漢城, ケイジョー | Souru, Kanjō, Keijō |
| Korean | kor | 서울, 한성/漢城 | Seoul, Hanseong |
| Burmese | mya | ဆီယူ | Sʰiyu |
| Thai | tha | โซล | Sōn |
| Khmer | khm | សេអ៊ូល | Se'ūl |
The second Chinese, Japanese and Korean forms are the older name of the city, read Hànchéng, Kanjō and Hanseong. Japanese adds a third form, Keijō.
Provinces and cities of South Korea in Hangul and Hanja
ISO 3166-2:KR codes 17 first-level units: nine provinces, one of them Jeju, six metropolitan cities (광역시), the special city of Seoul and the special self-governing city of Sejong. Each appears with its Hangul name as ISO writes it, the romanisation ISO uses, the Hanja spelling and the seat of government.
| ISO 3166-2 | Hangul | Hanja | English | Administrative centre | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provinces 도 do9 | |||||
| KR-41 | 경기도Gyeonggi-do | 京畿道 | Gyeonggi | 수원Suwon | |
| KR-42 | 강원특별자치도Gangwon-teukbyeoljachido | 江原特別自治道 | Gangwon | 춘천Chuncheon | 2023 Province until 10 June 2023, then 강원도 became a special self-governing province; ISO changed the category on 23 November 2023 |
| KR-43 | 충청북도Chungcheongbuk-do | 忠清北道 | North Chungcheong | 청주Cheongju | |
| KR-44 | 충청남도Chungcheongnam-do | 忠清南道 | South Chungcheong | 홍성Hongseong | 2012 Seat moved from Daejeon to Hongseong County |
| KR-45 | 전라북도Jeollabuk-do | 全羅北道 | North Jeolla | 전주Jeonju | 2024 Renamed 전북특별자치도, Jeonbuk State, on 18 January; ISO still has the old name |
| KR-46 | 전라남도Jeollanam-do | 全羅南道 | South Jeolla | 무안Muan | 2026 Merged with Gwangju into Jeonnam-Gwangju on 1 July; ISO still lists the code |
| KR-47 | 경상북도Gyeongsangbuk-do | 慶尚北道 | North Gyeongsang | 안동Andong | 2016 Seat moved from Daegu to Andong |
| KR-48 | 경상남도Gyeongsangnam-do | 慶尚南道 | South Gyeongsang | 창원Changwon | |
| KR-49 | 제주특별자치도Jeju-teukbyeoljachido | 濟州特別自治道 | Jeju | 제주Jeju | |
| Metropolitan and special cities 광역시 gwangyeoksi8 | |||||
| KR-11 | 서울특별시Seoul-teukbyeolsi | 서울特別市 | Seoul | 서울Seoul | |
| KR-26 | 부산광역시Busan-gwangyeoksi | 釜山廣域市 | Busan | 부산Busan | |
| KR-27 | 대구광역시Daegu-gwangyeoksi | 大邱廣域市 | Daegu | 대구Daegu | |
| KR-28 | 인천광역시Incheon-gwangyeoksi | 仁川廣域市 | Incheon | 인천Incheon | |
| KR-29 | 광주광역시Gwangju-gwangyeoksi | 光州廣域市 | Gwangju | 광주Gwangju | 2026 Merged with South Jeolla into Jeonnam-Gwangju (전남광주통합특별시) on 1 July; ISO still lists the code |
| KR-30 | 대전광역시Daejeon-gwangyeoksi | 大田廣域市 | Daejeon | 대전Daejeon | |
| KR-31 | 울산광역시Ulsan-gwangyeoksi | 蔚山廣域市 | Ulsan | 울산Ulsan | |
| KR-50 | 세종Sejong | 世宗特別自治市 | Sejong | 세종Sejong | |
Codes and Hangul names: ISO 3166-2:KR on the ISO Online Browsing Platform, as tabulated in Wikipedia's ISO 3166-2:KR, checked 28 October 2026 (last ISO change 23 November 2023). Seats, the 2024 renaming and the 2026 merger: Wikipedia's Administrative divisions of South Korea, North Jeolla Province, Jeonnam-Gwangju and North Gyeongsang Province, checked the same day; the merger law passed the National Assembly on 1 March 2026 and took effect on 1 July 2026 (Herald Kyungje, 1 March 2026; Gwangju News, 13 August 2026). Hanja: as listed with the units before 2018.
Do, gwangyeoksi and the changes since 2023
Korean names stack a place name and a rank. 경상북도, Gyeongsangbuk-do, is the north (buk) of the Gyeongsang region, a province (do); 광역시, gwangyeoksi, marks a metropolitan city and 특별시, teukbyeolsi, the one special city, Seoul. 특별자치도, special self-governing province, is the rank of Jeju, and since 2023 and 2024 also of Gangwon and North Jeolla.
Three changes reached the table after 2017. Gangwon became a special self-governing province on 11 June 2023, and ISO followed with a new category that November. North Jeolla took the name 전북특별자치도, Jeonbuk State, on 18 January 2024; ISO still prints 전라북도. On 1 July 2026 South Jeolla and Gwangju merged into Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, but ISO 3166-2 continues to list KR-29 and KR-46 as two units, so both remain in the table with the merger noted.
Two provinces were governed from cities that now form units of their own, Daejeon and Daegu. South Chungcheong moved its government to Hongseong in 2012, North Gyeongsang to Andong in 2016.
Aegukga, the national anthem
The four verses and the refrain in Hangul, each followed by its romanisation. The refrain, beginning 무궁화 삼천리, is sung after every verse.
- 동해 물과 백두산이 마르고 닳도록 / 하느님이 보우하사 우리나라 만세
- donghae mulgwa baekdusani mareugo daltorok / haneunimi bouhasa urinara manse
- 남산 위에 저 소나무 철갑을 두른 듯 / 바람 서리 불변함은 우리 기상일세
- namsan wie jeo sonamu cheolgabeul dureun deut / baram seori bulbyeonhameun uri gisangilse
- 가을 하늘 공활한데 높고 구름 없이 / 밝은 달은 우리 가슴 일편단심일세
- gaeul haneul gonghwalhande nopgo gureum eopsi / balgeun dareun uri gaseum ilpyeondansimilse
- 이 기상과 이 맘으로 충성을 다하여 / 괴로우나 즐거우나 나라 사랑하세
- i gisanggwa i mameuro chungseongeul dahayeo / goerouna jeulgeouna nara saranghase
- 무궁화 삼천리 화려 강산 / 대한 사람 대한으로 길이 보전하세
- mugunghwa samcheolli hwaryeogangsan / daehansaram daehaneuro giri bojeonhase
Questions about South Korea's names and provinces
What is South Korea called in Korean?
한국, Hanguk, or 남한, Namhan. The official name is 대한민국, Daehan Minguk, the Republic of Korea.
How do you say South Korea in Armenian?
Հարավային Կորեա, romanised Haravayin Korea: south (harav) and Korea.
What does Seoul Teukbyeolsi mean?
Seoul Special City. 서울특별시 is the official name of the capital, coded KR-11 in ISO 3166-2.
How many provinces does South Korea have?
ISO 3166-2:KR lists nine provinces and eight cities: Seoul, six metropolitan cities and Sejong.