Ri (administrative division)
Hangul리
Hanja里

A ri or village is an administrative unit in both North Korea and South Korea.[1][2][3][4]: 98

South Korea

In South Korea, two different levels of ri exist: "legal ri" () and "administrative ri" (). One legal ri may be divided into multiple administrative ri; this may occur due to the original legal ri being inconveniently large for purposes of local administration.[5] Alternatively, multiple legal ri may be administered under a single administrative ri.[6] Legal ri are used in assigning land-lot numbers, which were also a key part of addresses prior to the adoption of road name addresses.[7]

Legal ri are comparatively static, while administrative ri may be modified to suit local administrative convenience based on changes in population.[5] Although administrative ri are often named simply by adding a number to the name of the corresponding legal ri, under the Local Autonomy Act a local government can give an administrative ri a completely different name from the corresponding legal ri.[8]

In principle, the divisions among administrative ri are intended to reflect organic distinctions between settlements. However, because they are defined for the purpose of administering those settlements rather than a specific geographic area, the boundaries between administrative ri in uninhabited areas are often not precisely defined.[5]

The distinction between legal and administrative ri in rural areas is analogous to the distinction between legal and administrative dong in urban areas. However, ri are a lower administrative level than dong, occupying the level corresponding to an urban tong.[7] As such, administrative ri are the lowest administrative level in Korean local government.[9]

The representative of the residents of an administrative ri is known as the ijang ().[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ko:표준 발음". National Institute of Korean Language. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  2. ^ "ko:이(里)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  3. ^ "ko:국립국어원 - 동네 이름 리(里)의 발음에 대해". National Institute of Korean Language. Archived June 4, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  4. ^ 朱玫 (2018). "《朝鲜后期的面里制与户籍登记》" (in Simplified Chinese). 韩国研究论丛. ' (2018年第1期): 98–108. 北京市: 复旦大学韩国研究中心. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  5. ^ "ko:행정리 경계결정시 갈등요인 분석" [A Study on the Conflict Factors in Determination of Administrative Boundaries]. Vol. 20, no. 2. 2018. pp. 179–188. doi:10.46416/JKCIA.2018.08.20.2.179
  6. ^ "Local Autonomy Act". Korea Legislation Research Institute. 2017-07-26. Article 4-2. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  7. ^ Yu 2018, p. 181.
  8. ^ "ko:행정리 명칭을 변경할 때 법정리 명칭과 다르게 할 수 있는지 여부(「지방자치법」 제4조의2 관련): 안건번호의견13-0336" [Whether the name of an administrative ri can be changed to be different from the name of the legal ri (in relation to Article 4-2 of the Local Autonomy Act): Opinion No. 13-0336]. Ministry of Legislation. 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  9. ^ Yu 2018, p. 180.
  10. ^ Yu 2018, p. 182.