Im or Lim is a common

Korean family name This is a list of Korean surnames, in Hangul alphabetical order. Note: (S) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes South Korea. (N) North–South differences in the Korean language, denotes North Korea. The most common Korean fa ...

. The surname is identical to the Chinese character of the same name. According to the initial law of the Korean language, both "Im" and "Lim" are interchangeable.

History

The first clan branch is the Supul Rim (수풀 림, meaning "Forest-Rim") and its

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

character is 林. The Supul Rim or Lim or Im branch consists of two large clan houses; the first is Naju (early ''Hoijin'') and the second, which is the elder branch, is Pyeongtaek. Members of this branch often write their names as both 임 (Im; more common) and 림 (Rim or Lim; initial law). The character 林 means "forest". The second clan branch is the Matgil Im (맡길 임) or Mateul Im (맡을 임) and its

character is 任. The Matgil Im/Mateul Im branch consists of one large clan house called

Pungcheon Im clan The Pungcheon Im clan () is a Korean clan based in Kwail County, South Hwanghae Province. According to the research held in 2015, the number of Pungcheon Im clan’s member was 143881. Their founder was who was from Shaoxing, China and came to ...

and a smaller clan house called Jangheung (장흥). Members of this clan branch both write and pronounce their names as 임 (Im). The character 任 means "trusted/to bear, duty".

Romanization

When 林 (림 or 임) is romanized, it is spelled as "Rim" or "Im" in

McCune–Reischauer McCune–Reischauer romanization () is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems. A modified version of McCune–Reischauer was the official romanization system in South Korea until 2002, when it was replaced by the Re ...

and

Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...

, as "Lim". When 任 (임) is romanized, it is spelled as "Im" in

and

, or sometimes spelled "Yim". Statistics from the year 2000 show that there were 762,767 수풀 림 (林, Rim) and 172,726 맡길 임 (任, Im) in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Notable people of the past

The following is a list of notable people of the past with the Korean family name Im/Lim/Rim. People should only be included in this list if they have their own Wikipedia articles or if they are discussed in a non-trivial fashion in Wikipedia articles on notable groups or events with which they are associated. Pratt's list contains 8 names.Pratt, p.548 *

Im Sahong Im Sahong (; 1445–1506) was a Korean scholar official and member of the royal family of Joseon Dynasty. He was a close minister of King Yeonsangun of Joseon . His courtesy name was Iui (이의). Family * Great-Great-Grandfather ** Im Gun- ...

(1445–1506) * Im Kkeokjeong (fl. 1559-1562), leader of the Hwanghae peasant rebellion (Noklimdang). *

Im Che Im Che (; 1549 – 1587) was a literate Confucianist Yangban in Joseon. Works Im penned the following sijo upon the death of famed gisaeng, Hwang Jini. The following two poems were exchanged between Im Che and his lover, gisaeng Hanu (한� ...

(1549-1587), pen name "Paekho", poet of the Joseon period. *

Im Gyeong-eop Im Gyeong-eop (1594 – 1646) was a Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty. He participated in Korea's war against the Later Jin invasion of Joseon and Qing invasion of Joseon in the 17th century. After Ming forces surrendered to the Qing, I ...

(1594 – 1646), general of the Joseon period, instrumental in protecting Korea from Manchu invasion. *

Im Yunjidang Im Yunjidang (임윤지당, 任允摯堂; 1721-1793) was a Korean writer and neo-Confucian philosopher. She defended the right for a woman to become a Confucian master and argued that men and women did not differ in their human nature by interpreta ...

(1721-1793), she wrote the ''Yunjidang Yugo''. *

Im Sang-ok Im Sang-ok (Korean: 임상옥, 林尙沃) (1779–1855) was a trader in the middle of Joseon Dynasty. His Bon-gwan is Jeonju, Ja is Gyeongyak (경약, 景若), Ho is (가포, 稼圃). He was born in Uiju, Pyeonganbukdo. Early life Im Sang-ok wa ...

(1779–1885), a major ginseng trader of Joseon.

Notable people of the recent times

* Im Jae-hyuk, South Korean part-time actor * Dami Im, Australian-Korean singer and songwriter * Im Chang-kyun (stage name I.M), South Korean rapper and member of boy group Monsta X *

Im Chang-jung Im Chang-jung (; born November 30, 1973) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He is often referred by Koreans as "the original multi-entertainer" for being active in all three fields: music, film and entertainment. He made his acting ...

, South Korean actor and singer *

Im Dong-hyun Im Dong-hyun (; ; born 12 May 1986) is a South Korean archer. He competes for the South Korean national team and is a former world number one. He has 20/200 vision in his left eye and 20/100 vision in his right eye, meaning he needs to be 1 ...

, South Korean archer *

Im Heung-soon Im Heung-soon (born in South Korea 1969) is an artist and director who won the Silver Lion award at the 2015 Venice Biennale for his video work, ''Factory Complex''. His political yet emotional works are embodied through different visual mediu ...

, South Korean artist and director * Im Jin-ah (stage name Nana), South Korean singer, actress, and model, member of After School *

Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and h ...

, South Korean film director *

Im Na-yeon Im Na-yeon (; born September 22, 1995), known mononymously as Nayeon, is a South Korean singer. She became a member of the South Korean girl group Twice, under JYP Entertainment, in 2015 as a winning contestant of the reality survival televisi ...

, South Korean singer and member of girl group Twice *

Im Sang-soo Im Sang-soo (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He has twice been invited to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, with '' The Housemaid'' in 2010 and '' The Taste of Money'' in 2012. Early l ...

, South Korean film director * Im Se-mi, South Korean actress *

Im Si-wan Yim Si-wan (; born on December 1, 1988), known mononymously as Siwan, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boyband ZE:A and its sub-group ZE:A Five. As an actor, he is best known for starring in the film ''The ...

, South Korean singer and actor, member of boy group ZE:A * Im So-eun (stage name NC.A), South Korean singer *

Im Soo-hyang Lim Soo-hyang (; born April 19, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame playing leading roles in the television series '' New Tales of Gisaeng'' (2011) and ''Inspiring Generation'' (2014). After a series of supporting roles, she gained ...

, South Korean actress *

Im Soo-jung Im Soo-jung (born July 11, 1979) is a South Korean actress. After modeling for teen magazines, Im made her acting breakthrough in Kim Jee-woon's horror film ''A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), followed by the popular television drama ''I'm Sorry, ...

, South Korean actress * Im Sung-han, South Korean television screenwriter * Danny Im (stage name Taebin), Korean-American singer and member of group

1TYM 1TYM (Korean: 원타임, pronounced as "One Time") was a four-member South Korean group. They were Teddy Park (also known as Park Hong-jun), Oh Jinhwan, Song Baekyoung, and Danny Im (also known as Im Taebin). History In the late 1990s, YG CE ...

Im Won-sik Im Won-sik (; June 24, 1919 – August 26, 2002) was a Korean conductor, composer, and musical pedagogue. According to his obituary in the ''Asahi Shimbun'', Im was the "father of the Korean classical music world"; he has also been referred to as ...

, Korean conductor, composer, and educator * Im Yoon-ah, South Korean singer and actress, member of girl group

Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...

* Lim Hyung-joo, South Korean operatic pop (popera) tenor and classical crossover singer * Lim Chang-yong, South Korean baseball pitcher *

Dong-Hyek Lim Dong-Hyek Lim (born July 25, 1984 in Seoul) is a South Korean classical pianist. Lim has previously studied with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover and received the Samsung Culture Scholarship and the Ezoe Scholarship ...

, South Korean classical pianist *

Lim Dong-won Lim Dong-won (born 1934) is a retired South Korean politician who was a top aide during the administration of Kim Dae-jung and a key architect of the Sunshine Policy, holding the post of Unification Minister until losing a no-confidence vote on Se ...

, retired South Korean politician * Lim Eun-ji, South Korean pole vaulter *

Lim Hyo-jun Lin Xiaojun (), born Lim Hyo-jun (, born 29 May 1996), is a South Korean-born Chinese short track speed skater. He is the 2018 champion of the Men's 1500 m event in short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics, and also set the new Olym ...

, South Korean short track speed skater, Olympic gold medalist * Lim Jae-beom (stage name Jay B), South Korean singer and actor, member of boy band Got7 * Im Hyun-sik, South Korean singer and member of boy band

BtoB } BtoB ( ; ; acronym for Born to Beat; often stylized as BTOB) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2012 by Cube Entertainment. The group consists of Seo Eun-kwang, Lee Min-hyuk, Lee Chang-sub, Im Hyun-sik, Peniel Shin and Yook Sung-jae. Or ...

* Lim Jeong-hee, South Korean singer *

Lim Jeong-hyun Lim Jeong-hyun (born July 5, 1984), also known by the online alias funtwo, is a South Korean guitarist known for his cover of the piece Canon Rock. Canon Rock cover Lim played and recorded his cover of "Canon Rock" by JerryC on October 23, 20 ...

, South Korean guitarist *

Lim Ju-hwan Lim Ju-hwan (; born May 18, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas ''Tamra, the Island'' (2009), ''Ugly Alert'' (2013), ''Uncontrollably Fond'' (2016) and ''The Bride of Habaek'' (2017). ...

, South Korean actor *

Lim Na-young Lim Na-young (; born December 18, 1995), also known as Im Nayoung, known mononymously as Nayoung, is a South Korean singer, rapper and actress signed under Sublime Artist Agency. She was first known after participating in the survival show ''Pro ...

, South Korean singer, member of South Korean girl groups

I.O.I I.O.I (; also known as IOI or Ideal of Idol) was a South Korean girl group formed by CJ E&M through the 2016 reality show ''Produce 101'' on Mnet. The group was composed of eleven members chosen from a pool of 101 trainees from various enterta ...

and

Pristin Pristin (; stylized as PRISTIN and formerly known as Pledis Girlz) was a South Korean girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2016. The group was composed of ten members: Lim Na-young, Nayoung, Roa, Yuha, Eunwoo, Rena, Zhou Jieqiong, Kyulkyun ...

* Lim Seulong, South Korean singer and actor, member of boy group 2AM * Lim Sungbin (stage name Beenzino), South Korean rapper * Lim Yo-hwan, South Korean former professional StarCraft player * Rhim Ju-yeon, South Korean comics writer *

Rim Jong-sim Rim Jong-sim ( or ; born 5 February 1993) is a North Korean weightlifter, two time Olympic Champion, World Champion, Asian Games gold and bronze medalist, and Asian Champion competing in the 69 kg and 75 kg category until 2018 and 76 ...

, North Korean Olympic weightlifter *

Yim Bang-eun Yim Bang-eun (born 25 April 1978) is a former South Korean badminton player from Samsung Electro-Mechanics team. Yim competed for Korea in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with partner Kim Yong-hyun. They had a bye in the ...

, South Korean badminton player *

Yim Soon-rye Yim Soon-rye (born January 1, 1961) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the few leading female auteurs of Korean New Wave cinema. Career Education Born in 1961 in Incheon, Yim Soon-rye graduated from Han ...

, South Korean film director *

Yim Sung-ah Yim Sung-ah (; born 20 March 1984) is a South Korean professional golfer. Pre-LPGA Tour days Yim was born in Seoul. She attended Yonsei University and turned professional in November 2002 while still a student. She was a member of the Korean tea ...

, South Korean professional golfer *

Lim Young-woong Lim Young-woong (; born June 16, 1991) is a South Korean trot, ballad and pop singer, entertainer and YouTuber. He signed with Mulgogi Music in 2016 and debuted as a singer with his first single "Hate You". Four years later, he rose to stardom ...

, South Korean trot singer

Notes

References