Gunsan Modern History Museum Publishes 'The Surname Ha (下) of Gunsan Villages'

Author Sangwoo Lee: "Surname Culture is a Regional Culture that Examines the Origin of Existence"

The Gunsan Modern History Museum (hereinafter referred to as the Museum) has published a booklet titled "Surnames of Gunsan Villages, Volume 2," which organizes and introduces the distribution status of surnames of people living in villages in the Gunsan area of Jeonbuk and the disappearing surname culture.

The museum investigated the surnames, which are the roots of the citizens, and collected and databased local and regional historical materials of the city that are disappearing. It was planned to record the clan villages and surname culture that are at risk of disappearing due to rapid social changes such as urbanization.

Gunsan Village Family Name Booklet.
[Photo by Gunsan City]

Although the distribution status of surnames was introduced in the "Okgu County Chronicle" published in 1990, this booklet reorganizes the changed surname status after more than 30 years.

The first volume, published in 2022, organized the distribution status of surnames by village in six towns and townships among the 11 towns and townships of Gunsan: Okgu, Okseo, Hoehyeon, Oksan, Okdo, and Gaejeong.

The newly published second volume introduces the distribution status of surnames by village in five townships: Daeya, Seongsan, Impi, Seosu, and Napo. The composition consists of four main themes: introduction of towns and townships, introduction of villages, surname status, and introduction of major surnames.

Author Lee Sang-woo, who has been working as a guest curator at the museum, visited villages for two years to research and organize materials, publishing the two volumes of "Surnames of Gunsan Villages."

The author said, "Surname culture is a regionally valuable social and cultural heritage that reflects not only the Confucian values of kinship bonds and respect for ancestors but also the roots of our existence."

A museum official stated, "We sincerely thank the author who worked hard on-site despite many difficulties and the village chiefs and residents who actively cooperated in collecting basic data."

Meanwhile, the published booklet will be distributed to national and public libraries, museums, and town, township, and neighborhood community centers. The museum plans to continue publishing the series and strengthen its capabilities as a museum centered on local history.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.