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 1,496 globally memorable people, including Kim Il-sung, Sejong the Great, and Park Chung-hee. Additionaly, 144 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: 1
Sejong the Great
POLITICIAN
1397 - 1450
HPI: 82.84
Rank: 2
Park Chung-hee
POLITICIAN
1917 - 1979
HPI: 81.27
Rank: 3
Syngman Rhee
POLITICIAN
1875 - 1965
HPI: 81.11
Rank: 4
Yoon Suk Yeol
POLITICIAN
1960 - Present
HPI: 78.64
Rank: 5
Kim Dae-jung
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2009
HPI: 78.26
Rank: 6
Moon Jae-in
POLITICIAN
1953 - Present
HPI: 77.26
Rank: 7
Chun Doo-hwan
POLITICIAN
1931 - 2021
HPI: 77.25
Rank: 8
Yi Sun-sin
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1545 - 1598
HPI: 76.95
Rank: 9
Ban Ki-moon
DIPLOMAT
1944 - Present
HPI: 76.80
Rank: 10
Roh Moo-hyun
POLITICIAN
1946 - 2009
HPI: 76.65
Rank: 11
Jeongjo of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1752 - 1800
HPI: 76.44
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Born in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsPark Chan-wook
FILM DIRECTOR
1963 - Present
HPI: 63.66
Rank: 117
Kim Min-seok
POLITICIAN
1964 - Present
HPI: 59.66
Rank: 183
Choi Sang-mok
POLITICIAN
1960 - Present
HPI: 59.27
Rank: 194
Kim Keon Hee
BUSINESSPERSON
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.89
Rank: 205
Park Sung-soo
ATHLETE
1970 - 2025
HPI: 56.98
Rank: 244
Han Suk-kyu
ACTOR
1964 - Present
HPI: 56.85
Rank: 246
Choi Ji-woo
ACTOR
1975 - Present
HPI: 56.43
Rank: 261
Kim Hee-ae
ACTOR
1967 - Present
HPI: 55.49
Rank: 301
Lee Chang-ho
GO PLAYER
1975 - Present
HPI: 55.23
Rank: 313
Park Sung-hoon
ACTOR
1985 - Present
HPI: 54.31
Rank: 341
Sul Kyung-gu
ACTOR
1967 - Present
HPI: 53.79
Rank: 360
Lee Jung-eun
ACTOR
1970 - Present
HPI: 53.62
Rank: 370
People Deceased in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsSejong the Great
POLITICIAN
1397 - 1450
HPI: 82.84
Rank: 1
Park Chung-hee
POLITICIAN
1917 - 1979
HPI: 81.27
Rank: 2
Kim Dae-jung
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2009
HPI: 78.26
Rank: 3
Taejo of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1335 - 1408
HPI: 78.12
Rank: 4
Taejong of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1367 - 1422
HPI: 77.28
Rank: 5
Yi Sun-sin
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1545 - 1598
HPI: 76.95
Rank: 6
Roh Moo-hyun
POLITICIAN
1946 - 2009
HPI: 76.65
Rank: 7
Jeongjo of Joseon
POLITICIAN
1752 - 1800
HPI: 76.44
Rank: 8
Gojong of Korea
POLITICIAN
1852 - 1919
HPI: 76.40
Rank: 9
Lee Byung-chul
BUSINESSPERSON
1910 - 1987
HPI: 75.89
Rank: 10
Roh Tae-woo
POLITICIAN
1932 - 2021
HPI: 75.38
Rank: 11
Kim Young-sam
POLITICIAN
1927 - 2015
HPI: 75.34
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Deceased in Present Day South Korea
Go to all RankingsPark Sung-soo
ATHLETE
1970 - 2025
HPI: 56.98
Rank: 115
Jang Ja-yeon
ACTOR
1980 - 2009
HPI: 49.54
Rank: 132
Kim Weon-kee
WRESTLER
1962 - 2017
HPI: 48.17
Rank: 134
Oh Yun-kyo
SOCCER PLAYER
1960 - 2000
HPI: 46.16
Rank: 135
Chung Yong-hwan
SOCCER PLAYER
1960 - 2015
HPI: 45.11
Rank: 137
Cho Jin-ho
SOCCER PLAYER
1971 - 2017
HPI: 43.04
Rank: 139
Cha In-ha
ACTOR
1992 - 2019
HPI: 42.21
Rank: 141
Park Bo-ram
SINGER
1994 - 2024
HPI: 41.85
Rank: 142
Oh Se-jong
ATHLETE
1982 - 2016
HPI: 40.40
Rank: 143
Cho Min-ho
POLITICIAN
1987 - 2022
HPI: 36.90
Rank: 144
Occupations
Most individuals born in present day South Korea were actors (529), singers (227), soccer players (182), athletes (130), and politicians (125), while most who died were politicians (73), actors (18), soccer players (9), religious figures (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.







































