Korea, Local History - FamilySearch Historical Records

North Korea South Korea

What is in This Collection?
A collection of local histories/town records from Korea. The records are written in the Korean language using Chinese hanja characters. This collection will be published as images become available.

Reading These Records
These records are in Korean, written using Chinese hanja characters. For help reading the records, see the following resources: General Information: Reading Hangul: (Korean letters) Reading Hanja: (Chinese characters)
 * South Korean Language and Languages
 * Korean Genealogy Guide online
 * Korean names
 * HanGul Letters
 * HanGul Syllables
 * FamilySearch Video Tutorials (for Korean speakers
 * Background on HanJa Characters
 * Translating Hanja and Hangul

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Town Records may contain the following information:
 * Family Name
 * Province
 * City
 * Town/village
 * Year of record

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person you are looking for
 * The area in which they resided

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Country (국가), Province (도, 시), City or County (시,군)
 * 2) Select 제명 (Title), 년 (Year), and 권 (Volume) and/or 페이지 (Page) to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * The person you are searching for may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Korea.
 * North Korea Record Finder
 * South Korea Record Finder

Related FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

 * Korea Civil Service Examinations and Records of Officials and Employees - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea Collection of Genealogies - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Census Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Directories - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Legal Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Military Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Obituaries and Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Public Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, School Records - FamilySearch Historical Records
 * Korea, Social Life and Customs - FamilySearch Historical Records

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.