Kim is the most common Korean surname, comprising about 20 percent of
the Korean population.
The two largest Kim clans, the Kim
family of Gimhae and the Kim family of Kyungju, are descended from
semi-mythological characters who lived two thousand years ago.
*For reference, Gimhae or Kyungju is the name of the region where
Gimhae city and Kyungju city of Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.
*The
American pronunciation of Gimhae is Kimhae, but it would be correct to
write same as the name of the Gimhae city.
*The Korean pronunciation is Gim(±è), but
when used in foreign countries, most of them use Kim(Å´).
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Gimhae Kim, Gimhae Heo and Inchon Lee (Yi), these 3 clans associate
their Bon-gwan (geo-biological lineage roots) to Gimhae in South
Gyeongsang Province of Korea, and these clans place restrictions on
marriage with each other due to the shared ancestors. Today, the
Gimhae Gim clan is the largest clan group among them.
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