Cultural Production in
Present Day
South Korea
South Korea
South Korea ranks 23rd in number of biographies on Pantheon, behind Belgium, Argentina, and Australia. Memorable people born in present day South Korea include Kim Il-sung, Sejong the Great, and Park Chung-hee. Memorable people who died in South Korea include Sejong the Great, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Dae-jung. South Korea has been the birth place of many actors, and singers and the death place of many politicians, and actors.
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east. Like North Korea, South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of the entire peninsula and adjacent islands. It has a population of about 52 million, of which half live in the Seoul metropolitan area, the ninth most populous metropolitan area in the world; other major cities include Busan, Daegu, and Incheon. Read more on Wikipedia
People
Between 333 BC and 2007, present day South Korea was the birth place of 1,487 globally memorable people, including Kim Il-sung, Sejong the Great, and Park Chung-hee. Additionaly, 141 globally memorable people have passed away in present day South Korea including Sejong the Great, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Dae-jung.
People Born in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsKim Il-sung
POLITICIAN
1912 - 1994
HPI: 89.10
Rank: 24
Sejong the Great
POLITICIAN
1397 - 1450
HPI: 82.84
Rank: 13
Park Chung-hee
POLITICIAN
1917 - 1979
HPI: 81.27
Rank: 96
Syngman Rhee
POLITICIAN
1875 - 1965
HPI: 81.11
Rank: 1,474
Yoon Suk Yeol
POLITICIAN
1960 - Present
HPI: 78.64
Rank: 377
Kim Dae-jung
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2009
HPI: 78.26
Rank: 102
Moon Jae-in
POLITICIAN
1953 - Present
HPI: 77.26
Rank: 935
Chun Doo-hwan
POLITICIAN
1931 - 2021
HPI: 77.25
Rank: 1,158
Yi Sun-sin
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1545 - 1598
HPI: 76.95
Rank: 70
Ban Ki-moon
DIPLOMAT
1944 - Present
HPI: 76.80
Rank: 223
Roh Moo-hyun
POLITICIAN
1946 - 2009
HPI: 76.65
Rank: 1,163
Jeongjo of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1752 - 1800
HPI: 76.44
Rank: 1,487
Newly Added People Born in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsPark Chan-wook
FILM DIRECTOR
1963 - Present
HPI: 63.66
Rank: 1,466
Kim Min-seok
POLITICIAN
1964 - Present
HPI: 59.66
Rank: 1,461
Kim Keon Hee
BUSINESSPERSON
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.89
Rank: 1,423
Park Sung-soo
ATHLETE
1970 - 2025
HPI: 56.98
Rank: 1,444
Han Suk-kyu
ACTOR
1964 - Present
HPI: 56.85
Rank: 1,464
Choi Ji-woo
ACTOR
1975 - Present
HPI: 56.43
Rank: 1,408
Kim Hee-ae
ACTOR
1967 - Present
HPI: 55.49
Rank: 1,453
Lee Chang-ho
GO PLAYER
1975 - Present
HPI: 55.23
Rank: 1,410
Park Sung-hoon
ACTOR
1985 - Present
HPI: 54.31
Rank: 1,324
Sul Kyung-gu
ACTOR
1967 - Present
HPI: 53.79
Rank: 1,450
Lee Jung-eun
ACTOR
1970 - Present
HPI: 53.62
Rank: 1,438
Hwang Jung-min
ACTOR
1970 - Present
HPI: 53.19
Rank: 1,441
People Deceased in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsSejong the Great
POLITICIAN
1397 - 1450
HPI: 82.84
Rank: 10
Park Chung-hee
POLITICIAN
1917 - 1979
HPI: 81.27
Rank: 90
Kim Dae-jung
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2009
HPI: 78.26
Rank: 95
Taejo of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1335 - 1408
HPI: 78.12
Rank: 11
Taejong of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1367 - 1422
HPI: 77.28
Rank: 123
Yi Sun-sin
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1545 - 1598
HPI: 76.95
Rank: 64
Roh Moo-hyun
POLITICIAN
1946 - 2009
HPI: 76.65
Rank: 124
Jeongjo of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1752 - 1800
HPI: 76.44
Rank: 141
Gojong of Korea
POLITICIAN
1852 - 1919
HPI: 76.40
Rank: 104
Lee Byung-chul
BUSINESSPERSON
1910 - 1987
HPI: 75.89
Rank: 70
Roh Tae-woo
POLITICIAN
1932 - 2021
HPI: 75.38
Rank: 138
Kim Young-sam
POLITICIAN
1927 - 2015
HPI: 75.34
Rank: 134
Newly Added People Deceased in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsPark Sung-soo
ATHLETE
1970 - 2025
HPI: 56.98
Rank: 132
Jang Ja-yeon
ACTOR
1980 - 2009
HPI: 49.54
Rank: 129
Cho Jin-ho
SOCCER PLAYER
1971 - 2017
HPI: 43.04
Rank: 131
Cha In-ha
ACTOR
1992 - 2019
HPI: 42.21
Rank: 127
Park Bo-ram
SINGER
1994 - 2024
HPI: 41.85
Rank: 126
Oh Se-jong
ATHLETE
1982 - 2016
HPI: 40.40
Rank: 130
Cho Min-ho
POLITICIAN
1987 - 2022
HPI: 36.90
Rank: 128
Occupations
Most individuals born in present day South Korea were actors (528), singers (227), soccer players (179), athletes (128), and politicians (124), while most who died were politicians (73), actors (18), religious figures (7), soccer players (7), and writers (6).
Occupational Trends
Over the past 100 years, actors have been the top profession of globally memorable people born in present day South Korea, including Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, and Ma Dong-seok. Whereas, throughout history, actors have been the profession with the most memorable people born in present day South Korea, including Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, and Ma Dong-seok.
Places
Overlapping Lives
Below is a visual represetation of the lifespans of the top 25 globally memorable people born in present day South Korea since 1700.




































