Twenty-five halotolerant gram-positlve bacteria were isolated from the coastal seawater 01 Cheju Island and Incheon J&yakdo Chemosystematic and phenotypic characteristics were used to iuvestigate the taxonomic position of these bacteria. According to their chemosystematic characteristics, the twenty-tive isolates were divided into 4 groups. Group 1 bacteria possesed 40.1 to 49.9 inol% m DNA G+C content, menaquinone-7 as a major quinone, and meso-Alpm as a diamino acid of peptidoglycan. Group 1 tam were identified as Bacilluspumilis, Bacillus lichenifbrrizis, Bacillus megaterium, Bncill~rsubtilis. Group 2 bacteria possessed 63.9 to 66.4 mol% and MK-8. They were all in the genus Arth~obaclm-. Group 3 bacteria possessed 31.0 to 37.6 mol% and MK-7. They were identified as Staphylococcus haeniol.viicvs, Siaph~~lococc~is sapropl~j~ticns, and Siaphylococcus intermediru.. Group 4 bacterium possessed 72.0mol% and MK-8 and was identified as ~Lficrococcus ltdtezm. Bacillus species accounted for 68% of h e total isolates.