Due to the tragic collapse of the Joseon Dynasty in 1910 and followed Japanese colonial rule and Korean War, Korean modern astronomy in the early 20th century struggled for existence. Nonetheless, Koreans in the midst of hardship strived to continue and honor the legacy of astronomy research. Since the first modern lecture on astronomy taught at the Yonsei University in 1915 and the launch of the first independent department of astronomy at the Seoul National University in 1958, Korean astronomy underwent steady expansion.

Now with eight universities offering up to Ph.D programs in astronomy and astrophysics, Korean astronomy enjoys a rapid growth in numbers of well educated human resources, cutting edge research outputs, and astronomical instruments. Together with Korean astronomers’ dedicated commitment to astronomy and substantial government support, Korea is engaged in various activities including the launch of space telescopes, Korea VLBI network (KVN), the network of three wide-field telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere (KMTNet) monitoring the sky 24 hours a day. Active international collaborations are also sought, by partaking in the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) consortium. After a long pause, Korea once again steers the way into the great endeavor to stand on the frontline of astronomy and space science for mankind and a better tomorrow.