How to Write Korean Names
The style and spelling of names in North Korea and South Korea follow each government’s standard policy for transliterations unless the subject had a personal preference.
North Korean names are written as three separate words, each starting with a capital letter. For example,
- Kim Jong Il.
Use Kim on second reference.
South Korea names are written as two names, with the given name hyphenated and a lowercase letter after the hyphen. For example,
- Lee Myung-bak
Use Lee on second reference.
For South Korea place names, use the revised Romanized spellings introduced by the South Korean government in 2000. For example,
- Incheon (formerly Inchon).
- Busan (formerly Pusan).
In both Koreas, the family name comes first.