Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mea ...

in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

(clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese distinction of clan names or ''xing'' (姓) and lineage names or ''shi'' (氏). The ''bong-wan'' system identifies descent groups by geographic place of origin. A Korean clan is a group of people that share the same paternal ancestor and is indicated by the combination of a ''bong-wan'' and a family name (clan name). However, a ''bon-gwan'' is not treated as a part of a Korean person's name. The ''bon-gwan'' and the family name are passed on from a father to his children, thus ensuring that person in the same paternal lineage sharing the same combination of the ''bon-gwan'' and the family name. A ''bon-gwan'' does not change by marriage or

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

. ''Bon-gwan'' are used to distinguish different lineages that bear the same

. For example, the

Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...

Kim and the

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in G ...

Kim are considered different clans, even though they happen to share the same family name '' Kim''. In this case, Gyeongju and Gimhae are the respective ''bon-gwan'' of these clans. Different family names sharing the same ''bon-gwan'' sometimes trace their origin to a common paternal ancestor, e.g. the ' clan and the ' clan share Suro of Geumgwan Gaya as their common paternal ancestor, though such cases are exceptional. According to the population and housing census of 2000 conducted by the South Korean government, there are a total of 286

surnames In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

and 4,179 clans.

Restrictions on marriage and adoption

Traditionally, a man and a woman in the same clan could not marry, so the combination of the ''bon-gwan'' and the family name of a husband had to differ from that of a wife. Until 1997, this was also the law, but this was ruled as unconstitutional and now

DNA tests Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

have superseded ''bon-gwan'' as an indication of one's lineage. When adopting a child, the adoptive father and the adopted child must share the same combination of the ''bon-gwan'' and the family name. However, in exceptional circumstances, adoptive parents can change an adopted child’s family name for the adopted child's

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

. In this case, the adoptive parents must visit a

family court Family courts were originally created to be a Court of Equity convened to decide matters and make orders in relation to family law, including custody of children, and could disregard certain legal requirements as long as the petitioner/plainti ...

to request permission to change the family name.

List

References

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External links

List of Korean clans
(in Korean) Korean clans Clans

Restrictions on marriage and adoption

List

See also

References

External links