Provinces of Korea

Korea has had administrative districts that can be considered provinces since the 7th century. These divisions were initially called ''ju'' () in Unified Silla and Later Baekje, and there were nine in total. After Goryeo conquered these states in the 10th century, twelve divisions called ''mok'' () were established, although they were reorganized into ten ''do'' () in the 11th century.

After Joseon's conquest of Goryeo, it established the Eight Provinces in 1413. These provincial boundaries closely reflected major regional and dialect boundaries, and are still significant in contemporary Korea. In 1895, as part of the Gabo Reform, the country was redivided into 23 districts (''Bu;'' 부; ), which were replaced a year later by thirteen new provinces. The thirteen provinces of 1896 included three of the original eight provinces, with the five remaining original provinces divided into north and south halves (''Bukdo'' (북도; ) and ''Namdo'' (남도; ) respectively). The thirteen provinces remained unchanged throughout the Japanese colonial period.

With the liberation of Korea in 1945, the Korean peninsula was divided into North Korea and South Korea, with the dividing line established along the 38th parallel. Three provinces—Hwanghae, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon (Kangwŏn)—were modified or split as a part of this. The special cities of Seoul (South Korea) and P'yŏngyang (North Korea) were formed in 1946. Between 1946 and 1954, five new provinces were created: Jeju in South Korea, and North and South Hwanghae, Chagang, and Ryanggang in North Korea. With the freezing of the Korean War in 1953, provincial boundaries were again modified between the two Koreas, and have since remained mostly unchanged; new cities and special administrative regions have since been created in their provinces. Provided by Wikipedia