Traditionally, Korean women keep their family names after their marriage, but their children take the father's surname.
Korean names consist of two parts: a family name and a given name. Traditionally, a child takes their father's surname like in many other cultures, but Korean women do not take their husband's surname after marriage.
Commonly, when babies are born they take the father's surname, but recently, even if it's still only a small number, there are some cases in which the children take the mother's family name. However, when women get married they keep their own surnames, instead of changing them to that of their husband's.
Surnames in Korea reflect one's paternal natal bloodlines, which do not change after marriage though women legally become part of their husbands' families, and their names are removed from their fathers' family registries and added to their husbands'.
Each Korean name usually consists of three syllables. The first is the family name while the second and third are the given name. For example, in the name KIM Min Su (김민수), KIM is the family name. The family name (or 'surname') is inherited patrilineally from one's father and shared with other siblings.
Korean women keep their surnames after marriage based on traditional reasoning that it is inherited from their parents and ancestors, and cannot be changed.
오빠 (oppa) is also a common term for girls and women to use with their boyfriends and husbands. The term, 오빠 (oppa), is used both directly with your partner and when talking about him to others.
Eligibility and Prohibitions
Marriage in South Korea is currently restricted to unions between individuals of the opposite sex as same-sex marriages remain unrecognized. Males over 18 and females over 16 years old may marry with their parents' or guardians' consent.
Domestic matters such as finances and personality differences have become the main reasons for divorce in South Korea, as opposed to extramarital affairs, domestic violence and family disagreements, which were the leading contributors in the 1970s and 1980s.
The enduring popularity of the Kim family name can be traced back to its royal origins. Kim has its roots in two separate royal families; the Silla dynasty (57BC — 935AD) and the Gaya confederacy (42AD-562AD). When these two kingdoms united, the resulting merger led to Kim becoming one of the most popular family names.
Skincare is More Important than Makeup
Since ancient times, Koreans have only used natural, harsh-free ingredients for their skincare routines: green tea, “snail slime”, bamboo extracts, propolis, and honey are just some examples of the elements they used and have passed through generations.
The family name is inherited from the father and is shared with the siblings.
For many centuries in Korea, surnames were rare among anyone but royalty and the aristocracy. This circumstance held until the granting of surnames became a mark of favor by the king during the Goryeo dynasty (935–1392).
Influenced by the culture of China, the royal family and noblemen started adapting last names. King Taejo Wang Geon, gave family clans and last names to the ruling classes. The last names were assigned by region. A lot of lower-class people bought last names and family clans with money from poor noblemen.
The most common Korean surname (particularly in South Korea) is Kim, followed by Lee (Rhee, Yi) (second most common) and Park (Pak) (third most common). Together, these top three surnames made up slightly more than half of the Korean population (based on South Korea in 2000).
The average age of first-time marriage was 31.1 years for women and 33.4 years for men, as of 2021. Compared to the average age of first-time marriage in 1991, 30 years ago -- 24.8 for women and 27.9 for men – women and men now wait 6.3 years and 5.5 years, respectively.
An age gap of 12 years is significant in Korean culture because it means that the couple is a full zodiac cycle apart.
Korean couples usually get a couples' ring when they hit the 100 days mark of being together. All in all, we hope and expect you to have fun if you choose to date while living in Korea. You could experience so many great things by having a partner here; however, your life will be fun and fulfilling even without one!
Bigamy is illegal in South Korea.
Rules restricting marriage
In Korea, a child inherits his or her father's surname. Traditionally, men and women who have the same surnames and "ancestral homes", called dongseong dongbon (Hangul: 동성동본, Hanja: 同姓同本), are not permitted to marry.
The marriage represents two families coming together as one. As a result, parents from both families take active participation in many aspects of the wedding. Parents wear special attire, give and receive special gifts, and provide many blessings to the bride and groom throughout the festivities.
Is There Still a Royal Family in Korea? There is still an Imperial royal family of Korea. His Imperial Highness King Yi Seok has lived his entire life in Korea.
Han is the oldest name in Korea.