|
| |
| |
Surnames:
 |
Currently, there are about 270 last names in Korea, but the five most
popular - Kim, Lee (Yi), Park (Pak), Choi (Choe) ...
However, having the same last name does not always mean that persons
share the same blood heritage. For over 1,000 years, Koreans have maintained
the unique system of using their regional bases as an important way to
differentiate their identities.
For example, there are 285 regional origins for the Kims, such as the
Kyongju Kim clan and Kimhae Kim clan. There are 241 regional bases,
including Chonju and Kwangju, for the Lees, 128 for Park and 127 for Choi,
among others.
Marriage between people with the same last name and place of origin has
been traditionally forbidden, but today's legal definition of inter-clan
marriage is narrowed to those within second cousins in order to minimize the
potential constraints incurred by the traditional ban.
There is one Chinese character for the surname Kim. Kim is the most
common Korean surname, comprising about 20 percent of the Korean
population. According to some sources, there are over 600 different
Kim clans, but only about 100 have been documented. Kims can be found
in virtually every part of Korea. The two largest Kim clans, the Kim
family of Kimhae and the Kim family of Kyungju, are descended from
semi-mythological characters who lived two thousand years ago.
According to legend, the Kimhae Kim family founder, Kim Suro, came in
answer to a prayer offered by the nine elders of the ancient Karak
Kingdom. In 42 ad, these
elders met together to pray for a king. In answer to their prayer,
they were sent a golden box containing six golden eggs. From the first
egg emerged King Su-ro, Karak’s first king. The other five eggs became
the five kings of Karak’s neighboring kingdom, Kaya. (ancester.com)
|
|
| |
|
...under construction
...
|
|
|
|
|
