Eight Provinces of Korea
Divisions of Korea during the Joseon dynasty
During most of the Joseon dynasty, Korea was divided into eight provinces (do; 도; 道). The eight provinces' boundaries remained unchanged for about 480 years from 1413 to 1895, and formed a geographic paradigm that is still reflected today in the Korean Peninsula's administrative divisions, dialects, and regional distinctions. The names of all eight provinces are still preserved today, in one form or another. These eight historical provinces form both North and South Korea, and are not to be confused with the modern provinces that make up North Korea or South Korea.
History
Provinces before 1895
In 1413 (the 13th year of the reign of King Jeongjong), the north-eastern boundary of Korea was extended to the Tumen River. The country was reorganized into eight provinces: Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, P'unghae (renamed Hwanghae in 1417), P'yŏngan, and Yŏnggil (eventually renamed Hamgyŏng in 1509).
Districts of 1895–96
For almost 500 years, the eight-province system remained virtually unchanged. In 1895 (the 32nd year of the reign of King Gojong), the five-century-old provincial system was abolished. On May 26 of that year—as part of the Gabo Reform—the country was redivided into 23 districts, each named for the city or county that was its capital.
Each district name in the following list links to the article on the province from which the district was formed, and where more detailed information on the district is provided:
Restored provinces of 1896
The new system of districts did not last long, however, as one year later, on August 4, 1896, the former eight provinces were restored, with five of them (Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, Jeolla, Hamgyŏng, and P'yŏngan), being divided into north and south halves, to form a total of 13 provinces.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Eight Provinces of Korea” as divisions of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as divisions of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q699797. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1413, 1895, 1417 and 1509.
Later summaries often reconcile disputed chronology or motive more neatly than the contemporary record permits. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Eight Provinces of Korea” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.