[Gall] Smile Smile Republic of Korea County Population Ranking

You probably know the general ranking of city populations, so let's look into the populations of counties, which you might not be as familiar with. For reference, there are a total of 82 counties in South Korea (166 if you include unreclaimed territories).

1st Place

Dalseong County, Daegu Metropolitan City 254,844 people

The county with the largest population in the country. How can a county have 250,000 people? Well, it's part of Daegu. It has a whopping 6 towns and 3 townships. Dalseong itself was a nickname for Daegu, and as Daegu's urban area expanded, it grew by absorbing parts of Dalseong County. In 1995, Dalseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, was entirely incorporated into Daegu Metropolitan City. Dasa Town and Hwawon Town, connected to downtown Daegu, rank 1st and 2nd in town/township population, and Hyeonpyeong in the relatively southern part also has a developed urban area. Back in the late Joseon Dynasty, they were separate administrative districts.

2nd Place

Uljin County, Ulsan Metropolitan City 219,269 people It occupies 3/4 of Ulsan's total area, and like other parts of a metropolitan city, Ulsan's urban area extends into Uljin County. Beomseo Town, directly connected to downtown Ulsan, has a population of 60,000, and it consists of a total of 6 towns and 6 townships. Eonyang in the west forms a separate living sphere from Ulsan. Again, Eonyang and Ulsan were separate districts until the late Joseon Dynasty. Due to the Gyeongbu Expressway and Ulsan Station, people often pass through here. Onsan Town has a large industrial complex, and Saengseong Township is home to Ganjeolgot Cape and the Shin Kori Nuclear Power Plant. Samdong Township is the hometown of Lotte founder Shin Kyuk-ho.

3rd Place

Gijang County, Busan Metropolitan City 174,759 people Metropolitan city-affiliated counties occupy 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Originally, Busan (then Dongnae) and Gijang were separate districts, but they were merged into Dongnae County during the Japanese colonial period. In 1973, the entire area was incorporated into Yangsan, but in 1995, the former Gijang County area was incorporated into Busan Metropolitan City, leading to the present situation. It consists of 4 towns and 1 township, with two towns having populations over 50,000. Jeonggwan is quite isolated and has no railway, so I don't know why they built a new city there. Jang'an Town, Gori has the Gori Nuclear Power Plant.

4th Place

Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province 127,105 people Excluding metropolitan cities, this is the county with the largest population. Thanks to its title as the closest rural area to Seoul, its population continues to increase despite being a county. Many people build their dream homes here and live. It's easy to visit because of the Jungang Line railway. Yangsu-ri in the west has Dumulmeori where the South Han River and North Han River meet. Yongmunsan Mountain is also somewhat famous. As you go east, it becomes very rural. In 1981, Yangpyeong recorded the lowest official temperature in weather observation history at -32.6°C. Conversely, in 2018, the worst heatwave in history, it reached 40°C. It's the hometown of Lee Soo-geun, who calls himself the 'Tazza of Yangpyeong'.

5th Place

Chilgok County, North Gyeongsang Province 105,154 people Sandwiched between Gumi and Daegu, with the Gyeongbu Line and Gyeongbu Expressway passing through, it has a suitable location. Parts of it are completely attached to Gumi's urban area, with the border line running through the same apartment complex. There were fierce battles along the Nakdong River defense line during the Korean War. Ironically, Chilgok County does not have a Chilgok Town. It was incorporated into Daegu in 1981, and Waegwan is the central area.

6th Place

Wanju County, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province 100,490 people Daegu's multi. It was originally the same Jeonju County, but when Jeonju was promoted to a city in 1935, the rest became Wanju County. Afterward, Jeonju continued to absorb parts of Wanju and grow, leading to the current situation. Since they were originally one, they have a symbiotic relationship with Jeonju. The Jeonbuk Innovation City is jointly developed. The topic of Jeonju-Wanju integration has been ongoing for 30 years since 1995, but it hasn't been realized due to strong opposition from Wanju's political circles. This integration also failed this time. The reason is that Wanju is livable on its own. There's a Hyundai Motor factory in Bongdong Town. Also, a residential development area has been created, attracting population from Jeonju, and this year it recovered to 100,000 people for the first time in 36 years. I wish they would integrate.

7th Place

Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province 100,334 people In the Joseon Dynasty, it was one of the representative cities of Chungcheong Province under the name Hongju. In 1914, it was merged into Hongseong County because the pronunciation was confusingly similar to Gongju. In 2012, the provincial government office in Daejeon moved to Naepo New Town. Thanks to the new town's population, it was able to recover to 100,000 people in 20 years. It's a county but has a Lotte Mart!

8th Place

Muan County, South Jeolla Province 95,559 people This place is hated on DC. Originally, Mokpo + Muan + Sinan were one entity. As Mokpo Port opened and grew in the late Joseon Dynasty, Mokpo City was separated, and Muan's population was so large that it reached 310,000 in 1966! (County with the largest historical population). Due to the large number of islands, administrative power was limited, so in 1969, the island areas were entirely separated as Sinan County. Later, parts of Muan were incorporated into Mokpo. In 2005, the provincial government office in Gwangju moved to Namak-ri, Samhyang Town, becoming the provincial capital. Reverend Lee Jae-rok of Manmin Central Church, who created Muan Danmul, is from Haeje-myeon, Muan County. It's part of the Mokpo living sphere, but they strongly oppose integration with Mokpo. But Namak New Town, which is part of the Mokpo living sphere, has half the population of Muan, so what are you going to do in the future? Soon it will be one year since the Muan Airport Jeju Air disaster. It is still uncertain when the airport will reopen....

9th Place

Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province 93,593 people The name 'Eumseong' truly sounds negative. A 'minus' 성. Despite being a county, it has a large population because there are many small industrial complexes. Especially, it has a large number of foreign workers, ranking first in basic autonomous entities for foreign population percentage nationwide. A whopping 15%! It has a decentralized urban structure with four towns/townships each having a population of over 10,000, without a distinct central area. It's the hometown of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Eumseong Flower Village, visited by Pope Francis, is located here.

10th Place

Jincheon County, North Chungcheong Province 85,909 people 'Saenggeo Jincheon' (Alive Jincheon). It's adjacent to Eumseong, the county above, so the Chungbuk Innovation City was jointly built on their border. They even operate county buses jointly. It has the advantage of being less than 100km from Seoul. The Jungbu Expressway passes through the county. There are many jobs, so it has an unusually high youth population ratio of 15% for a county. It's the hometown of General Kim Yu-shin, and its mascot is also a Hwarang. The Jincheon National Training Center, where the Taereung National Training Center was relocated, is here.

Other counties with populations over 50,000 include: Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province 78,891 (My hometown) Ganghwa County, Incheon 69,672 Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province 66,136 Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province 62,200 Haenam County, South Jeolla Province 62,181 Hwasun County, South Jeolla Province 60,293 Ansan County, South Chungcheong Province 59,516 Goheung County, South Jeolla Province 59,507 Geochang County, Gyeongnam Province 59,152 Buyeo County, South Chungcheong Province 58,477 Haman County, Gyeongnam Province 57,625 Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam Province 54,836 Yecheon County, Gyeongbuk Province 53,886 Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province 53,308 Gochang County, Jeonbuk Province 50,452 Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province 50,131 Total 26 counties. Only 32% of all counties. There used to be more than this; in the 60s-70s, quite a few counties exceeded 100,000 people. And many of these counties, while having large populations, are at high risk of extinction.

Let's also look at county populations in reverse. This time, in reverse order.

10th Place

Gurye County, South Jeolla Province 23,795 people Located in northeastern South Jeolla Province. Famous for Jirisan Mountain and Hwaeomsa Temple's sansuyu (cornelian cherry flowers).

9th Place

Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang Province 23,391 people Responsible for the 'C' in BYC. At least it has a highway. It's where the infamous Gyeongbuk Northern Correctional Facility is located. At least this keeps the economy going. Juwangsan National Park is here. It's the first place in the country to implement free county bus service.

8th Place

Muju County, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province 22,781 people Responsible for the 'Mu' in Mujinjang. Deogyusan National Park and Muju Resort attract a decent number of tourists. Daejeon is closer than Jeonju. It borders Chungnam, Chungbuk, Gyeongnam, and Gyeongbuk provinces, a place where three provinces meet. Therefore, although it's in Jeolla Province, there's a slight Gyeongsang dialect.

7th Place

Hwacheon County, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province 22,375 people A frontline area typical of Gangwon Province. The population has always been small. It's fortunate to have military bases. The Sancheoneo Ice Festival is famous. Pyeonggang Lake, where tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers drowned, is here.

6th Place

Gunwi County, Daegu Metropolitan City 22,335 people Incorporated into Daegu in 2023. This happened solely to build the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport. Although it shares a border with Daegu, there's no direct road connecting Daegu and Gunwi. The shape is incredibly weird, and the incorporation was completed smoothly without even a resident referendum. The population is very small, the elderly ratio is the 2nd highest in the country, and it has the unfortunate distinction of being the 1st in the nation for extinction risk index, so perhaps Gyeongbuk felt it was fine to give it away to Daegu, whether it remained or not. It's the rural heart of Daegu-Gyeongbuk, and it has the highest conservative voter turnout in the country, with conservative candidates winning the national popular vote for four consecutive presidential elections.

5th Place

Jangsu County, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province 20,426 people Responsible for the 'Jang' in Mujinjang. (Jin'an, the only one missing from the Top 10 in Mujinjang, is 11th from the bottom). 長水 (Jangsu) means 'long water'. Apples are famous, and it's the birthplace of Nongae.

4th Place

Yanggu County, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province 20,425 people A place where soldiers shed tears (I didn't serve in Gangwon, so I don't know). So they got their just desserts when the military service area was abolished. It was already a sparsely populated area, but they lost one township to North Korea. The northeastern Haean-myeon has a Punchbowl basin terrain. The geographical center of Korea is located here, and they even renamed the township 'Gukto Jeongjung-myeon' (Geographical Center of Korea Township).

3rd Place

Ongjin County, Incheon Metropolitan City 19,644 people This administrative district was created due to a special situation caused by the North-South division. The main part of Ongjin was originally in Hwanghae Province, North Korea. After the division at the 38th parallel, the West Sea 5 Islands (which were not originally part of Ongjin) were temporarily incorporated into Ongjin County. After the war, the main part of Ongjin County became North Korean territory, while the islands remained South Korean, creating a bizarre situation. Later, in 1973, all islands in Gyeonggi Bay were incorporated. In 1989, Yeongjong Island and Yongyu Island were incorporated into Incheon, and in 1994, Daebu Island was incorporated into Ansan. In 1995, the entire area was incorporated into Incheon Metropolitan City, leading to the present situation. It's an administrative district consisting only of island shells, so there's no central area, and the county office is not within the jurisdiction but in Incheon. In the first place, the only island accessible by car is Yeongheungdo! Will the West Sea 5 Islands return to Hwanghae Province when unification occurs?

2nd Place

Youngyang County, North Gyeongsang Province 15,793 people Essentially the last place in the country. The population is less than most towns. It seems to have become synonymous with underdeveloped regions. It's the 'county' responsible for dragging Fishtank University (a YouTube channel) down. They should have at least packaged it better. Youngyang chili peppers are famous, and the nature is clear, so it has been designated as an International Dark Sky Park.

1st Place

Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang Province 8,757 people The last place in the country. This is unavoidable due to its isolated island nature in the East Sea. In 2017, the population finally dropped below 10,000. I'll skip the characteristics of Ulleungdo since you learned it in Korean geography class. I don't know if they are building the Ulleung Airport properly.

Other counties with populations under 30,000 include: Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province 29,795 Goryeong County, Gyeongbuk Province 29,596 Ham평 County, South Jeolla Province 29,512 Jindo County, South Jeolla Province 28,517 Bonghwa County, Gyeongbuk Province 28,315 Suncheon County, Jeonbuk Province 27,587 Yangyang County, Gangwon Province 27,335 Danyang County, North Chungcheong Province 26,873 Goseong County, Gangwon Province 26,794 Okcheon County, South Jeolla Province 26,694 Imsil County, Jeonbuk Province 25,229 Uiryeong County, Gyeongnam Province 24,627 Jin'an County, Jeonbuk Province 24,237 It's truly sad. There's absolutely no possibility of increase in the future. We'll break 50,000, then 40,000, then 30,000, then 20,000, then 10,000, and in the distant future, only extinction remains? What makes me even sadder is that I'm also from a county. (Not one that made it into the rankings.) Seeing the population continuously decrease and all my acquaintances leave makes me very sad. I also yearn for the city.

I'm letting you know separately in case someone asks in the comments. Sinan County's population is 41,545 as of November 2025.

Source: Smile Smile Earth Village Gallery [View Original]