Can Koreans marry with the same 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 rule, called honinbeop (Hangul: 혼인법, Hanja: 婚姻法), originated in China, and can be traced back at least to the late Joseon Dynasty in Korea.

How do Korean clan names work?

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.

What is the most powerful clan in South Korea?

The Sunheung Clan was the most noble and powerful clan among clans with surname Ahn, and was one of the Six Greatest Clans of all Korean clans during the Goryeo Dynasty and early Joseon Dynasty.

What happens if you marry the same clan in South Korea?

As a result of the ban, thousands of couples with the same clan name in South Korea break up, turning their backs on their true love for someone else, or they live together quietly without getting married. If it’s a common-law marriage, their children, who are legally illegitimate, sometimes have difficulty registering in school.

Do Koreans know what their last names mean?

And usually, the Korean’s answer is: unless you know the what Chinese characters were used for your name, the Korean can’t really say what your name means. Korean last names are 100\% Sino-Korean. That is, all Korean last names have an underlying Chinese character.

Can couples with the same clan name get married again?

So in the next four months, couples like Mr. Lee and his girlfriend will scramble to marry before the amnesty ends and the ban on same-clan-name marriages is enforced again. In 1978, 4,500 couples with the same clan name married, and the figure soared to 14,000 couples in 1988.

What is a Sino-Korean language?

Let’s put it this way: Korean language has a Chinese backbone, as just like English has a Latin backbone. In other words, while there are plenty of Korean words that have a stand-alone meaning in Korean, a lot of Korean words have a meaning that one must refer back to Chinese to understand — that is, those words are Sino-Korean.