In Korea, changing one's legal name can be powerful motivation for new life

Korea Herald

01-03-2025

A fresh start can be embraced in many ways. Some South Koreans make a major change by renaming themselves, replacing their first names given by their parents with one they can create themselves.
'Gaemyeong,' which literally means 'legal name change' in Korean, is used to signify an actual change to one's legal name. It differentiates itself from some overseas celebrities who take professional or stage names but keep their legal names.
Changing one's legal name has not been a common practice in South Korea, a country with a long history of Confucian beliefs in the value of inherited aspects, including one's body and name, as gifts from one's parents.
However, legally changing one's name has become more common in recent years under modern legal interpretations. Since 2005, the Supreme Court of Korea has recognized both personality rights and the right to pursue happiness, allowing individuals regardless of their age to change their names as long as the request is not for illegal or unconstitutional purposes.
Almost 200,000 people annually requested their names to be changed from 2020 to 2023, according to data provided by the Supreme Court.
In pursuit of success
Stories about professional athletes and celebrities who have chosen new names for themselves have drawn increasing public attention and interest.
Samsung Lions right-hander Kim Mu-shin, formally known as Kim Yun-su, announced in January that he was set to start the 2025 baseball season with a new name.
'I heard my original name was not good, so I decided to rename myself with something which has positive energy. I changed my name because I wanted to get better at baseball. My name is Mu-sin,' the Samsung Lions pitcher told his fans in an Instagram post.
Kim's confession is not new to many Korean baseball fans, who are well aware of the name changing trend sparked by South Korean right-fielder Son Ah-seop in the late 2000s.
Son, who suffered from multiple injuries since his debut in 2007, changed his name from Kwang-min to Ah-seop in 2009, taking a piece of advice from his mother who received a new name from a Busan-based naming center.
He later revealed that his mother sought a name that would keep him healthy and successful in baseball.
Coincidentally, the renamed Son started to deliver outstanding performances ever since and his value skyrocketed in Korean baseball with many considering him to become another all-time South Korean baseball legend.
Woo Joo-hyun, a worker in a local educational institution in his early 40s, shared that he changed his name from Woo Hyung-wook in 2020, hoping many things in his life would work out very well.
'I started to hear my name had bad energy almost 20 years ago. I had four to five different names recommended to me ― like Dong-hyun, Seong-jae and Jae-woo ― over many years,' Woo said.
'I stubbornly refused to change my name at first, thinking that my name had nothing to do with my life. But, I started to think differently as I went through bad experiences multiple times,' he added.
Though Woo did not credit all the positive changes, including improved social relations, increasing inquiries for lectures at local universities and a happy married life, to his new name, he felt there was a small correlation between the two.
'I believe nothing can change a person as significantly as a new name. It can energize your day and make you become more attached to your life in general. I think I tended to work harder, feeling that I have to live up to the name that is supposed to carry positive energy,' he told The Korea Herald.
Woo shared that celebrities' positive career changes might have been made because a new name becomes a powerful motivation for success.
'Whether the name 'Joo-hyun' had the mythical power to change my life or not, I am 200 percent satisfied with life after the name change,' Woo said.
Names with positive feeling chosen
Some Koreans choose to rename themselves simply because they did not like their given names.
'Friends made fun of my name since I was young. I was hurt a lot. I felt my name was terrible and did not want it to be called by others,' said Jung Jin-kyung, a mother of two children in her late 60s, who was originally Jung Mak-boon.
'Many women, especially those who are older than me, were called by names that end with the syllable 'Ja,' like Mi-ja, Suk-ja and Young-ja. This was a remnant of Japanese colonialism, during which Koreans were told to adopt Japanese names. The syllable 'Ja' is pronounced 'Ko' in Japanese, which is widely used in Japanese women's names like Hinako,' Jung explained.
She shared that many of her friends whose names ended with "Ja," changed their names very early on.
'Most Korean parents preferred sons to daughters in the past. So parents named girls carelessly. This might be another reason why many older women, like myself, wanted to change their names,' Jung said, explaining that she wanted a name that she could cherish.
Kim Dong-wan, an adjunct professor of Asian philosophy at Dongguk University, agreed that many people attempt to change their names simply to make themselves happy.
'Many of my clients who visit me to rename themselves, say that their original names are old-fashioned. I feel that many people, especially those from the older generation, want to be called by a name that has a good connotation, like those of popular TV celebrities,' said Kim, who is now more widely known as an expert who creates names for the children of many Korean TV celebrities, including comedians Yoo Jae-suk, Shin Dong-yup and more.
He explained that it might be a little extreme to bet one's future on a different name, because naming experts have different theories and ways to interpret Korean syllables.
'I find a few theories a little misleading as well. But a new name that satisfies a person can certainly boost one's self-esteem and confidence and even shape a new personality. And these are the key factors that I find essential in bringing positive changes in someone's life,' Kim said.
'It's not the name that makes changes. The changed attitude to life brings a difference to one's quality of life,' he added.